“While you all were distracted, (fill in the details of the latest scandal or ‘40,000-foot view’ meant to make you look smarter than everyone else because you assume nobody else knows what you know)!”
Don’t you hate that? I do. It fills me with anxiety, or anger, or cynicism. I am closed to the message because of the arrogance with which it is delivered.
Superiority based on information is probably helpful in warfare. Still, information collection is not guaranteed to be correct or valid, and data does not remain static—it depends on context, statistics, the POV of the observer and the hearer, and the political slant or propaganda employed.
Self-importance is a feeling based on perception. How important is that? If you have 100 people in a room viewing an event, you will have some consensus of the facts, but you will have 100 points of view, 100 units of perception, and 100 versions of a story in varying shades of veracity.
Those who taunt others as they give such “news” are not peacemakers. They are inciting their readers to jealousy, anger, frustration, and action—even if they don’t know what action to take.
James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (14) But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. (15) Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (16) For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. (17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (18) Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
I like to joke about my cell phone—I say it is attached to me by a carabiner connected to my belly button ring. No, I don’t have a belly button ring, and my phone is not physically connected to me. But it might as well be. If someone should call or text, I want to be available to communicate on this “horizontal” (person-to-person) information highway.
In that vein (ouch, no wordplay intended), we who carry within us the Kingdom of God need to be more concerned about the “vertical” information highway—communicating with Holy Spirit and asking for discernment concerning all we see happening in this complicated world.
There is only one real Expert, and He can guide us out of lies and into truth. He can bring us wisdom from heaven that is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. We are Peacemakers when we consider Him.
To whom should we display these attributes since God doesn’t actually need our help? It is our fellow humans who must be the participants in our peacemaking.
Jesus said, “ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Peacemaker: literally “one who executes peace.” I love the juxtaposition of this phrase because peace is not passive in the hands of one who is making it. God considers this person a son/daughter. That is no light matter.
We can’t be arrogant and be a peacemaker—the two are mutually exclusive. Self-absorbed, self-conscious, self-serving, self-motivated, self-consumed—all in spiritual opposition to what the Holy Spirit calls and equips us to be.
(17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (18) Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
The fruit we bear as Peacemakers will harvest righteousness in God’s presence. Perhaps this is an excellent time to have that vertical conversation about our communication with others—get in touch with the Master and be about our Father’s business.
Shalom to all who would make shalom.
Pastora Cate
I've come to understand that "praying without ceasing" simply means leaving that vertical communications channel open. It can be blocked by sin, or our attitudes.