The Four G’s of Peacemaking Essay Example

that we are to "give to the Lord... Glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due to His Name... Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. " We read in Hauberk 2:14 that "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. " David writes in Psalm 96:7" to "give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name. Revelations 1 teaches "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created. " As such, glorifying 2God is the single most important thing you can do with your life. However, exactly what does that mean? Is glorifying God some abstract concept that we speak in generalities about? Men have a tendency to make this idea complicated. We only need to go back to 1st Corinthians 10:31 to get to the simplicity of this. It is the practical fruit of one's life that produces the glory of God.

We give God praise and worship, but we do it out of a renewed mind and a clearness heart. Our actions, if we are saved and honest in our fealty to the Father, will be the light to the world. We glorify God and bring honor to his name through our actions. This is most important in situations where conflicts arise. Sanded writes that we glorify God in the center of conflict in three ways: trusting Him, obeying Him, and imitating Him. A popular bumper sticker in recent years says "What Wicked Jesus Do? "

This can also be stated as "how can I please and honor the Lord in this situation. Believe that what honors God the most and brings glory to Him is living life His way. The little things we o in life, like loving your wife, managing your money biblically, and recognizing people around you allow us to be that light unto the world and our actions glorify God and put substance to the worship and praise we give Him. Dealing with conflict in this renewed mindset can go a long way to avoiding division and enhancing reconciliation. The Second G-Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye In dealing with conflict and the proper response to it, we must deal with first things first.

We see in Matthew 7 Jesus' admonition to Judge not, lest you be Judge and accordingly with the same Judgment you use against others. Jesus is also clear in Matthew 7:5 that we need to remove the big things that separate ourselves from God before we can even consider criticizing the little things we see in the lives of others. Our actions do speak louder than words. Paul writes in Philippians 4:5-9 things we should focus and meditate on n our own lives: visible moderation, being anxious for nothing, and meditating on things that are true, honest, Just, pure, lovely, good, and virtuous.

Focusing on these things and on the source from which they come, along prayer and supplication, shall keep our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. This is also way we are admonished not to forsake the company of other believers-we are many times not the most clear eye

in the room and others that we submit to in God will be able to look at our lives more objectively. Keeping our focus and our heart on Jesus daily is the best way to keep logs out of our eyes. Our heart is a battleground and can be easily swayed if we lose our focus.

We see in Romans 12:12 that we are not to be "conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds"... So we will be able to "discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self control. As our priorities are changed by the renewing of our minds in Him, so should the things that we allow via sin nature to separate us from God be vanquished from our hearts, hence removing the "logs" that blind us and also being less concerned with the little things we see in others (specks)that pale in the glorious light of the Father.

The Third G-Gently Restore

There are times, however, that we must make the effort to help others understand how they have contributed to a conflict. Jesus teaches in Matthew 18:1 5 that if your rooters sins against you, go and show him his fault, Just between the two of you. On the surface this appears rather confrontational. But looking at the scripture in context, Jesus preceded this with a parable concerning a shepherd who goes to find his lost sheep that is separated from the hundred, showing how this is more an act restoration than it is punitive(though

punitive actions do come later).

We read in Galatians 6:1 that we are to restore someone who is caught up in sin gently. We are to be as merciful and forgiving to others as God is to us. If we are like minded with Christ, then our heart should be on of gentleness and our intent to restore. Sanded does write that there are times when it is proper to overlook offenses. Proverbs 19:11 tells us that we have latitude to defer our anger and pass over someone's transgressions.

The litmus test Sanded uses is, if you can answer "no" to all of the following questions-is the offense seriously dishonoring God; has it permanently damaged a relationship; is it seriously hurting other people and is it seriously hurting the offender themselves-then overlook the offense. However, if you answer "yes" to any of these, then the offense is too serious to overlook and must be alt with scripturally. Always remember the goal is restoration and the offender has to be in serious rebellion before it becomes a matter for the church as a whole to deal with.

The Fourth G-Go and Be Reconciled

One of the most unique features of peacemaking is the chase for genuine forgiveness and reconciliation. Christians, though they are the recipients of the greatest gift in the world, seem to have the largest capacity of unforeseen for others, be they saved or non-saved. It is not uncommon to for Christians to say things like "l forgive you, but I don't want anything to do with you anymore. " Thankfully, e have a great God whose mercies are never-ending. He forgives us and

through the cross, has provided the way to ultimate reconciliation.

Our God expects us to forgive others in the same manner. Colombians 4:13 says we are to forebear "one another and" forgive "one another. If any man has a quarrel against any (of you)-even as Christ forgave you, so you do likewise. " Sanded writes that the problems inherent in rebuilding a relationship while attempting forgiveness and reconciliation can be reduced by utilizing three levels. The first is "in thought", where you replace negative thoughts with positive ones. The second is "in word", where you make the effort to speak well of the person who offended you and stay away from spiteful gossip.

The third level is "in deed. " Jesus teaches in Luke 6:27-28 to love our enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you. It is good to keep in mind that forgiveness is a spiritual process. It is a process you cannot do on your own. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Sanded writes about the four promises of forgiveness. They are:

• 1. I will not dwell on this incident.
• 2. I will not bring up the incident again and use it against you.
• 3. I will not talk to others about this incident.
• 4. I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship

In keeping these promises the divisive walls between a person and their offender cannot stand. So how shall we then live? As we have seen with the four G's that Sanded has written about,

if we find ourselves in conflict with another, our first thought should be how to please and honor God in the situation. As Christians, we should constantly be on guard to not let the enemy get a foothold in our lives that could destroy relationships. We need to stand fast on the word of God as our bulwark.

Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Use discernment as to what is a conflict that needs to be addressed and what is not. Have the goal of reconciliation through Jesus as the standard. Works Cited Sanded, Ken. The peacemaker: a biblical guide to resolving personal conflict. 3rd deed. Grand Rapids, Much. : Baker Books, 2004. Print. N/a, n/a. Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kiered Co. , Inc. , 1988. Print.