You realize that people are going to do things and say things out of our control right? You realize that the only thing we can control is how we respond to it. So it always depends on us how we will react to what is said. It always depends on us how we will respond to what is done. Let’s be the dads who are living at peace with everyone because it always depends on us! Let’s be the dads who persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them! God’s Word tells us:
‘ Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. ‘
Hebrews 12:14
Let’s be the dads who continually pursue peace with everyone! Let’s be the dads who continually pursue the sanctification without which no one will ever see the Lord! You may be asking how? You make be ready to put in there “but”. God’s Word continues when it says:
‘See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears. ‘
Hebrews 12:15-17
Let’s be the dads who don’t allow roots of resentment to take hold, spring up, and cause trouble! Let’s be the dads who when we find such roots do some digging in order to remove them from our lives so that we can prevent ourselves and others from becoming defiled! Let’s be the dads who are focused on seeing to it that one falls short of God’s grace! Let’s be the dads who are calling others to a higher standard so that no one is immoral or godless like Esau who sold his own birthright for a single meal! Let’s be the dads who help people live up to the calling God has on their lives so that they won’t lose out or miss out because of bad decisions and then later on when they want to regain it they find the inheritance is gone and have run out of time to repent and repair what they had done or recall the choices they have made! Let’s be the dads who come alongside others early and help them to reconcile before it is too late and they find themselves with bitter tears! Let’s be the dads who are ambassadors of reconciliation!
‘Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord [and understand the importance of obedience and worship], we persuade people [to be reconciled to Him]. But we are plainly known to God [He knows everything about us]; and I hope that we are plainly known also in your consciences [your God-given discernment]. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an occasion to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in [outward] appearances [the virtues they pretend to have] rather than what is [actually] in heart. If we are out of our mind [just unstable fanatics as some critics say], it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit. For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake. So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way . Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God]. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].‘
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Let’s be the dads who because of God’s calling on our lives to be ministers of reconciliation choose to live at peace with everyone because we know that it always depends on us!
