Matthew 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Jesus certainly had a way of upending conventional thinking! This particular statement even seems to conflict with Isaiah 9:6, where He is called the Prince of Peace. However, the conflict is all a matter of perspective. If You are looking to Jesus to solve all your interpersonal conflicts, He is telling you that’s not going to happen. However, those who are fully submitted to His Lordship do enjoy peace that is found no other way, and that is what His eventual kingdom is all about. The problem is, we live in the here and now, so we sometimes experience conflict at every turn. There are many believers in the world today who can identify 100% with what Jesus says right after this, about our enemies being the members of our own households. If we place anyone or anything in a position of higher value or higher authority that Christ in our lives, we’ve got a problem, and that means a remarkable percentage of Christians in the world today have problems. Japanese society demands that people conform to the group, and especially to the family, and all sorts of animosity is stirred up if that doesn’t happen. We are so prone to opt for short-term “peace,” not realizing that in the process we are defeating the long-term goal of God’s kingdom being established, at least in our own lives. This is one area that Islam has taken truth and twisted it, because their definition of “peace” is a world-wide caliphate, with everyone in submission to shariah law. That’s why in the short term, all who are true peace lovers will be in more or less active conflict with those who are true to the tenets of Islam.

I am grieved to hear people say that “Islam is a religion of peace,” but that isn’t a direct concern for me here. However, conflict avoidance, at the expense of conflict resolution, is a major issue. I have the personal blessing of my physical family being part of my spiritual family, but few in this church are in that situation. I have never been where they are, so I need to be especially sensitive to the Holy Spirit in supporting them. I am to encourage and equip them in sharing the Gospel with those close to them, and comfort them in the conflicts that will arise. I especially need to stress forgiveness, and who our enemy really is, so that the believers won’t lash out at those who are less than understanding with them. Likewise, when issues arise that involve me directly, I must speak the truth in love so as to deal with the issues, rather than covering over and allowing them to fester. That sort of thing has already caused far too much damage in this church!

Father, thank You for not pulling punches in Your Word. Help me receive it and practice it fully, not seeking conflict but not avoiding it either, so that I and those in my care may be nurtured and brought into the full maturity that You desire and intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!