"And I will give
them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within Ezekiel 11:19.
Centuries ago a
heathen said that true love and friendship can appear only between good men,
but unfortunately he did not know what makes a good man. When God's mercy
intends to accomplish oneness, He first makes the people new. "And I will
give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within" Ezekiel 11:19..
Genuine peace is a fruit of the Spirit-- it inevitably sanctifies before it
unites.
Finally, we see
that every part and purpose of the sinner's love is carnal, not spiritual.
Augustine pitied Cicero for not having Jesus Christ in his life far more than
he admired him for his eloquence. This, then, is what draws a heavy black line
through the carnal man's peace and unity-- there is nothing of God and Christ
in it.
Do carnally minded
people aim at the glory of God? Is it Christ's command which binds them
together? No, there is still a voice involved-- but it is not God's. Their own
relaxation or fleshly favor is the primary motive. Peace and unity are such
welcome guests, and pay so well for their lodging, that they motivate men with
no grace at all to keep up an external peace among themselves. In a word, the
peace of the wicked will not last long because it lacks strong cement. Stones
may lie together for a while without mortar, but not for long. The only lasting
cement for love is the blood of Jesus.
The Gospel of
peace is a strange text to preach contention from, yet Paul speaks of this very
thing: "Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife" Philippians
1:15. These men seem to have forgotten that their Lord who sent them is Himself
the Prince of peace! Their work is not to blow a trumpet of confusion or sound
an alarm to battle but rather to call for a joyful retreat from the dreadful
fight against God and one another.
.”Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings
in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell.
http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
No comments:
Post a Comment