Good Morning Devotion :-)❤️

shirleynpenalosa (63)in #christian-trail • 6 years ago

Peacemaking

Read Psalms 120:1–124:8

1I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. 2Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. 3O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment? 4You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals. 5How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. 6I am tired of living among people who hate peace. 7I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!Psalm 120:1-7

Psalm 120 was written by a man who had some thoughts on fighting. He had seen a lot of action and wanted a little peace. But chances are he didn’t get any—at least not from his adversaries. As you read this psalm, learn the value of being a peacemaker.

The other psalms in this reading cover many different topics: knowing where your help comes from (Psalm 121); entering God’s presence (Psalm 122); looking to God for mercy (Psalm 123); and celebrating God’s protection when you are attacked by others (Psalm 124).

The psalm writer wrote, “I search for peace; but . . . they want war” (Psalm 120:7). Many people feel that way and would rather fight for what they believe in than back down or compromise for the sake of peace. For those people, the glory of battle lies in winning. But when someone wins like that, somebody else loses.

In contrast, the glory of peacemaking lies in the fact that it can produce two winners. Peacemaking is God’s way (see Matthew 5:9), so we, too, should strive to be peacemakers by carefully and prayerfully trying to resolve conflicts without force. But at the same time, we should keep in mind that peace at all costs is not peace. Therefore, we should not sacrifice God’s principles to achieve a lesser peace.

The next time you are involved in a disagreement, look for things on which you both can agree. Work from there toward a solution that is mutually beneficial and pleasing to God. Be a peacemaker.

(Source: from my friend's {@catietan} devotional materials)

Good rainy Saturday morning, my dear sweet and grateful steemit family and friends! :-)❤️ Today's devotion reminds me to be a peacemaker at all times. I have been there years ago when I fought for my right and I won, leaving my "opponent/opposer" a big time loser.

I was at the peak of my emotion back then & I wanted that person to have a taste of his own medicine, which in the end he did. I find myself rejoicing of course. But there were also innocent people involved in my decision. So what I did was to help him be lifted up from being banned so he can still go back to work. This has also made him too distant from me and since then no more communication. I wanted to talk to him about how to go with the amortization of our property loaned at Pag-Ibig and I'm praying that one of these days, our path will cross so that we can talk about these things and if possible request for a recomputation for a lesser monthly payment so that I can also stretch my budget, as both of our daughters will be studying already. We also need to renew our passports and we need his presence and or anything that will be documented that he is signifying his permission for our kids to travel with me. He can come with us if he wants too (KKB nga lang bwhahahaha)

"The psalm writer wrote, “I search for peace; but . . . they want war” (Psalm 120:7). Many people feel that way and would rather fight for what they believe in than back down or compromise for the sake of peace. For those people, the glory of battle lies in winning. But when someone wins like that, somebody else loses." There are still people who challenges me to get war-freak but I just ignore them. I don't have to waste my time and energy for these kind of people. They always look for my faults, everyday they scrutinize my life and kept on judging me. Mind you, sobrang nakakapagod pala maging celebrity, at ang isa pang nakaka gigil, wala naman po akong sinalihang contest, ba't ba hanggang ngayon e hindi matapos-tapos ang paghuhusga sa akin hahahaha. I just don't want to make another drastic decision and for sure many innocent people will be affected along the way. I decided not to give in to their satisfaction. Let them be :-)

"The next time you are involved in a disagreement, look for things on which you both can agree. Work from there toward a solution that is mutually beneficial and pleasing to God. Be a peacemaker." This is my priority for now and I hope that I can make things right this time, by God's grace and through His divine appointment and intervention.

Thank you very much for your time and God bless :-)

I am @sashley a.k.a. shirleynpenalosa, a recipient of God's love, mercy and grace. ❤️

Have a blessed and still hot month of June 2018 everyone :-)❤️

I am forever grateful to God every day of my life for giving me everything that I need and praise Him all the more for not giving me everything I want. To God be all the honor, praise and glory ❤️ :-)

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