March 6 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 65—James 3:18

¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Devotional:

Amazing grace! The living God works in his people and through his people to produce "a harvest of righteousness"—a vast multitude that no one can number being won to the Lord, getting right with God, being conformed to the image of Christ, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit to his glory. What a vision for the church! How can you contribute toward its coming to pass?

First of all, plant the right seed—the wisdom from above. Second, plant this seed in the right soil—loving Christian relationships. Third, be the right kind of sower. The "sowers" God uses to plant this "seed" are "those who make peace." Many see themselves as peace-makers because they avoid conflict and are often able to smooth over tense situations. Peace, however, is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the presence of Christ-like love and service in order to bring reconciliation. To avoid conflict is not to be a peace-maker; it is to be a self-centered peace-lover (in his excellent book The Peacemaker, Ken Sande calls this being a "peace-faker"). But the God of grace calls and enables you instead to follow Jesus and to be a positive peace-maker. This is the kind of sower that God uses to produce the great harvest of righteousness.

Nothing reveals God's concern for peace more vividly than his decision to send his beloved Son to "guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:79; cf. Isa. 2:4). From beginning to end, Jesus' mission was one of peacemaking. Long before he was born, he was given the title "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Throughout his ministry he was constantly preaching and giving peace (John 14:27; Eph. 2:17). As the supreme peacemaker, Jesus sacrificed his life so we could experience peace with God and with one another now and forever.^†

Commit yourself to keep receiving the wisdom from above—our Lord Jesus as he imparts himself by his Word and Spirit— and to keep sowing it faithfully as a peace-maker in the soil of Christian fellowship.

^† Ken Sande, The Peacemaker (3rd edition) [Baker Books, 2004], p. 44

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.