Peace and Holiness

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Scripture: Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)       

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture is short but packs a big punch. It starts out with the verb strive. In the Greek this verb is in the imperative. Which means it is an urgent command. It is a call to immediate wholehearted pursuit of its object. In this case peace and holiness. This world does not pursue either of these two things. It seems to prefer conflict over peace and encourages every kind of unholiness imaginable. Thus, the Christian is set up for failure unless God grants His divine help.

            Fortunately for us we can rely on God to empower us to pursue these lofty goals and achieve some measure of success. We know in Christ we are given a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4.7). We must exercise that peace in our everyday relationships. The word for peace in both these places is the same. It denotes more than the absence of conflict, but it denotes a state of tranquility and calmness. So, peace is the first thing which we are to urgently seek. So that our lives will be filled with a sense well-being that characterizes our lives as we live in our violent and untranquil world.

            Striving for holiness will be difficult because our world is bent on pursuit of unholy and immoral ideals. We as Christians are to seek to be done with unholiness and immorality. As Matthew writes in the beatitudes “8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. (Matt. 5:4 NIV) The Christian is called to strive after holiness with everything he or she has got. The reward for such effort will be seeing the Lord.

            So, we see that this simple one line verse from Hebrews is full of meaning. It gives us direction for our lives. We must, however, add a word of caution here. This call to action has nothing to do with a person’s salvation. You are saved by believing in Jesus Christ as your savior no action at all are required of you there. However, once you have made that decision to follow Jesus the New Testament explains that you are, with Christ’s help, to live a certain kind of life. Pursuing peace and holiness are two very important goals which a Christian should strive Let us pray for God’s help to reach these lofty goals.

Prayer:

            O Blessed Lord Jesus be with us as we pray. Lead us in the paths of peace and holiness that we might one day see you as you really are and worship you in spirit and in truth. Keep us ever mindful of what the enemy of our souls is up to. We know he seeks to destroy our peace and make our holiness into self-righteousness. May we be active in the fight for our soul's wellbeing never conceding any ground to the devil and his minions. Amen.

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