What can I learn from my fingers…

… when I want to learn more about the fruit of walking in and with peace?

The question may seem irrelevant but it is important!
When Paul continues his teaching about walking ‘worthy of the calling we have received’, the first fruit of walking in and with peace is that we become “one” body:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Eph 4:4 

The logic is clear. If we are called to the one and same hope, we also belong to the one and same body, filled with the one and same Spirit.

So what can I learn from my fingers?

I learn that even though my little fingers do not look alike, and are not always functioning equally well, they are part of the one and same body. There is no use for Mr Rightfinger to be proud because he looks better or functions better than Mr. Leftfinger. Fortunately, I know that Mr Rightfinger does not think that way, because I am the head of my body and my spirit rules in it.

I could have used my knees as example as well, but they are not as photogene as my fingers, and today it is hard to distinguish one from the other. 40 years ago my right knee was badly damaged in a car crash. It affected the whole body, however, Mr. Leftknee did not blame Mr. Rightknee.

On the contrary he took on himself much of the burden and assisted Mr. Rightknee in restoring much of his function. Two years ago the tables turned when Mr. Leftknee was injured in a terrorist attack. If it wasn’t because of Mr. Rightknee I don’t think I would have been walking today. He carried the burden, and still helps Mr. Leftknee to stretch when he is in a bad mood and threatens to hurt the body.

You can learn a lot about the fruit of walking in and with peace by listening to your own body. You have only one, so take care of it. As a believer you belong to one body, so take care of it. We need one another both in weakness and strength. To know this and act in accordance with this insight, is part of walking worthy of our calling.

‘Manna’ for today:

Called to one hope in one body filled with one Spirit.

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NB There will be a pause in the blogging in six languages for three months. The next posting in this series will take place on 6 Oct 18. Have a blessed summer and take good care of the body.

Walking in and with peace!

I love to greet people with ‘peace’. In Norway people look at me whit a smile when I do it, however, in Eastern Europe it is a good tradition shared by many. We find peace among the attributes on Paul's list of what he considers a walk ‘worthy of the calling we have received’:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Eph 4:3

I had not been a follower of Christ very long when I discovered that the most prominent characteristic of the devil is his use of the strategy to “divide and conquer”. Unity is the soul of any fellowship. When unity is broken, the fellowship will fall apart.

What can we do to keep the unity of the Spirit?

In his book “Purpose Driven Life”, Rick Warren comes with the following advice:

• Focus on what we have in common, not on the differences 
• Be realistic in expectations (no fellowship is perfect) 
• Choose encouragement instead of criticism 
• Refuse to listen to gossip 
• Support the leaders 
• Practice God's method of conflict resolution (1) 

Paul’s advice to the Romans is in the same spirit:

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Rom 14:19

‘Manna’ for today:

I want to make every effort to walk in and with peace!

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(1) Matt 18:15-17a

It is about fruit that gives inner tranquility

NORSK
Yesterday our corps officer, Captain Alexander Yacubovski, preached about the vine and the fruit of joy. He has more knowledge about the vine than I have, and that gave me new insight. He told that the vine has hormones that influence the growth, and some species depend upon the plant’s hormones being ‘stressed’ so that the fruit will get the right quality.

It is very interesting to keep this in mind when I now look at “peace”, which is the third quality of the fruit of the Spirit. Peace is often regarded as antidote to stress, but I was quite young when I discovered that the divine peace is different. Because when I was 16, I memorized this verse:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

Still, I managed sometimes to give the wrong answer when people asked me how they could know what was the will of God: “Do what you have peace to do!”. It is more correct to say “Do that which make you uneasy!”. The uneasiness can be God’s way of stressing the branches of the vine so that the fruit of peace can grow when the disciple is doing his Master’s will.

Even in the stress of this world’s chaos, there can be a fruit of peace, like Magna and I experienced in the terrorist attack in Istanbul and made the journalist chose this heading on the article in the War Cry: “Peace in the midst of terror”.

God's children are called to bear the fruit of peace:

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Matt 5:9

And the link between peace and holiness is very clear in the Bible:

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebr 12:14

 ‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about a peace that gives inner tranquility

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(1) The fruit of the Spirit is ….peace – Gal 5:22