The Bond of Peace part 3
I want to quote our key verse again because we're going to dig in to some more definitions, so we can be clear about what we're talking about. Ephesians 4:3, "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." And today we're going to look at the word "endeavouring." It is number 4704 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "to use speed, that is, to make effort, be prompt or earnest: - do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study." And the reason I think its important to focus on is because I don't want us to get it mixed up with the idea of works and labor. Because works don't work. God doesn't want human effort to earn Spiritual things. In fact, Paul wrote, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3). And that's the trap we fall into so many times. We think we need to "take the ball and run with it." We think we need to finish the work. We think we need to perfect ourselves. That idea of denying ourselves, and taking up our cross, and following Him. When, really, we need to EMBRACE ourselves. And we do that by understanding that His cross IS our cross. And we don't follow Him as much as we let Him make new foot steps with our feet. The work IS finished. Everything is available to us. So instead of trying to earn something that can't be earned--something that has already been freely given--when we ought to do is hurry up and accept it. Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of the eternal life that we've been given. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. And I like that endeavouring means "study." Because I think we spend a lot of time "seeking" the Kingdom of God as if we need to get something we don't have, instead of seeking it to EXPLORE what we do have. 2 Peter 3:18 says what I think I'm trying to say like this: "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." We grow into who we are by knowing who we are. Learning and growing. Studying. And while that CAN include the Bible, it doesn't ONLY include the Bible. God is everywhere. He is in everything. A rainy day. A starry night. Nature. And, of course, each one of us. Getting to know people is how we build that bond of unity. That bond of peace. Because when you know someone, you can accept them. You can love them. No matter who they are or what they do. And I'm not saying you should condone everything. I'm not saying you should enable people. I'm saying you can love them no matter what. But if you're expecting them to be someone they're not, or if you're trying to make them be who you think they should be, that's not going to end well for anybody. Peace is not about control. Peace is about resting in the arms of your heavenly Father and knowing that He has already taken care of everything that needs to be taken care of. He finished the work. We get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. Which is the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. And I'm telling you, there is nothing more peaceful than love. So hurry up and get with it. Let what's inside come out by knowing and believing that its in there. By studying love. That's what a disciple is--a student of love. Learning how to love as we learn how we are loved!