The Power of Reconciliation

Last week, I spoke about restoration of friendships, restoration of relationships.

There is a real strategy in the world to bring division.

And I sincerely mean that.

Division, and I understand Jesus Christ said, I didn't just come to bring peace, but I claim to bring a division between light and dark or good and evil.

Okay, so we understand that.

There's a backdrop and explanation behind that.

But simply what it is, there's a real strategy to divide marriages.

to break up marriages, to bring enmity or division between siblings, misunderstandings, misrepresentations, conflict, contention, that sort of stuff, between neighbors and relatives and so forth.

But, you know, what it is is this.

I think it's Matthew 5.9.

It is Matthew 5.9.

It says, Blessed are the peacemakers because they shall be called sons of God.

So if we want to be called a son of God, we want to be a peacemaker.

And that's one of the things I put up my hand for is to be an arbitrator or a peacemaker to vouch for peace best possible.

So I want to jump into the subject here, continue on, and I'll just jump into the Word of God as it is, okay? Okay, so 1 John 3.10, it says this, "...and this the children of God and the children of the enemy or the devil are shown or manifest." Whoever does not practice, that's our key word, practice righteousness is not of God.

The key word though is practice.

It's not talking about having a downer once or falling into a bit of a pit and getting yourself out.

No, it's those that actually consistently, week by week, month by month, year by year, those who are practicing and walking in that kind of track or that kind of flow.

That's what that's talking about.

Okay, those who... practice righteousness, it's not of God, and then it's got here, now he, nor is he who does not love, this is a King James Version a little bit, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Okay, so here we've got, we're actually exhorted as Christians to love our neighbor as ourselves, okay? Then the word love will define it this way, it's seeking the highest good for another person.

at our personal cost.

It's sowing kindness and mercy, forgiveness and patience, it's acting for another's benefit, even when it is a challenge, okay? That's what the love of God is.

So in other words, God has put within us the capacity to walk with His nature and to love one another.

That's very important that we have the highest good for our neighbor.