Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Peace Requires a First Move

In the November-December edition of Preaching magazine, I read a sermon by Marvin A. McMickie, Senior Pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio write about Christmas.  In his article, he made these comments that blessed me - even 40 days after Christmas.

"If there is going to be peace on earth, then I have to be willing to initiate the action that can bring about that peace.  The world will not be substantively changed if all of us simply wait for somebody else to make the first move.  Peace must begin with us.

"Now remember that we are not making the first move in the process of peace;  God has already done that in Bethlehem.  God did not wait for us to get ourselves together before He entered into human affairs.

"God initiated the peace treaty and waited for us to respond.  God has already made the first move;  now all we have to do is respond in that spirit toward one another.

"That is how peace is made; somebody has to make the first move.  A holy God made peace with a sinful world by coming in the person of Jesus Christ and taking away the burden of our sins.  Now that same God looks to each one of us and expects us to respond.  Make the first move and invite somebody else to respond.

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