Sunday, December 26, 2010

Polarizer or Peacemaker

And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. (1 Samuel 19:1 ESV)

David learned early in his political career what it means to be a polarizing personality. “You love him or you hate him.” You’ve heard the saying. You’ve seen it because, if you’re honest, you’ve either liked or not liked someone and didn’t even always know why. Every president ever elected, to one degree or another, was loved by roughly half the country and despised by the other half. We see the same contrast in the verse above. The father hates enough to kill, but the son loves so much he delights. David elicited two different attitudes from the same family members: hate and love. David was a polarizing guy.

The same thing happens to you and me. Some people just don't like you. Maybe it’s a colleague or a customer, a boss or a pastor. It doesn't matter. He doesn't like you. Or you don't like him for a reason you don't even know. It's natural; unpreventable.

That's why we have to be told specifically in Ephesians to do something that does not come naturally; to be filled with the Spirit "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-21 ESV)."

As we're filled with the Spirit and put others before ourselves - no matter how we feel about the person - the result will be a change of heart in both ourselves and those around us. That's the process of being a real peacemaker.

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