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Writer's picturesonnyholmes

That the Apostle Paul warned his colleague Timothy about youthful passions could lead us down the wrong application path. Yes, Timothy was thought to be younger. People had ridiculed him about his youth and perhaps immature ways. But, no, the passions intended by the Apostle were not typical of youngsters exploring the facts of life. Note the lesson plan---


So flee youth passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with

those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2: 22, ESV


That peace was among the spiritual traits Timothy was advised to pursue moves the Apostle's instruction to troublesome human practices that defy age and complicate life far beyond the earlier years. Evidently Paul wanted Timothy to get a handle on several relational issues beyond inner peace. Of course, this inner peace is the guardian of our hearts and minds, the topic yesterday. But, the idea of peace with other people is perhaps our greatest challenge, the hope that this personal peace will calm the blazing heat that so often places people at odds. It's really a fresh word for right now because so many emotions are lighting fires of discontent in so many lives. Make note of the Apostle's continuing warning---


Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed

quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to

teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may

perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may

come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by

him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2: 23-26, ESV


Now the need for peace is more evident. Paul advised Timothy to pursue peace because he lived in a quarrelsome world. Avoiding ignorant controversies through kindness, learning, patience, and gentleness would give Timothy a redemptive edge in a world of contention. Even more, these gracious attributes would provide a witness of truth to the people who were so geared for strife, anger, argument, and conflict. Paul wanted the example of Timothy to so influence others into order to bring them to their senses. Pursuing peace should be his life directive.


Pursuing peace with others is a biblical theme.


Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34: 14, ESV


So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Romans 14: 19, ESV


Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the

Lord.

Hebrews 12: 14, ESV


For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 3: 10-11, ESV


Two thousand years later these Scriptures touch a need that is so obvious in the current cultural setting. We live in an angry world. Whether in daily lifestyles, opinions and biases, political intrigue, economic realities, wealth distribution, cultural shifts, and even simple life choices emotions can be inflamed at the drop of a hat. Racial tensions, gender inequalities, class warfare, government intrusion, and so many other crises pit us against one another as perhaps never before in our nation's history. Pursuing, striving, and seeking peace may be our path to relational calm even with our many differences. If the Apostle's advice in dependable, which I believe as Scripture it is, the witness of one peace seeker may help other angry Americans come to their senses.


And, right now, pursuing peace makes good sense. It is our way beyond the youthful passions that make us so quarrelsome, and at times, dangerous.


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Writer's picturesonnyholmes

Americans are experiencing levels of bunker mentality these days. You may ask, what in the world? So, here---the wordsmiths at Merriam-Webster define bunker mentality as "a state of mind especially among members of a group that is characterized by chauvinistic defensiveness and self-righteous intolerance of criticism". It's when we hunker down and move ourselves out of the line of fire. Even with the anonymity of social media we often avoid explosive and controversial topics out of fear of being blown away. Today that angst silences us. We simmer and smolder, doing our best to contain the embers of anger, frustration, and other emotional crises. There's heat in our bunker. And this heat is flammable and dangerous. Pay attention to the destructive forces we've experienced over the past couple of months. Who doesn't want to sink deeper in that safe fox hole?


Quieting these inner impulses is easier said than done. Observation of life in these mean streets arms our emotional weaponry. Today, regardless of our personal cultural, political, or religious beliefs we're challenged by the rants and raves of those who aren't hunkered down. Many leaders and merely egocentric citizens who enjoy spouting off are tossing grenades of opinion to light our fires and generate our responses. It's warfare, then, is among these vocal miscreants who relish controversy above facts, and crave the attention of those in safe places. The question is: how do we resist these urges to enter the fray? How do we counter these lures toward anger and worse?


Peace is a physical, emotional, and spiritual reality. It seems to be the absent qualifier of the explosive human urges driving the evening news today. How much physical peace can be visible in people rioting in our cities, destroying the world around them, and even threatening human life? Check out the murder statistics in our nation, or the many other criminal activities that put human life on the line. It's not a peaceful world right now. Even more, let's discuss school reopening strategies, or wearing masks, or reparations, or monuments, or changing history. Good grief! Where's the peace?


Pause here for some personal experience. Last Saturday Harriet, Liz, and I remembered the murder of our son and brother Brian Eliot Holmes on July 18, 2011. Nine years. Let me tell you, every single day since then I have fought the internal impulses of anger, vengeance, disappointment, frustration and their emotional cousins in response to his senseless death. One truth has calmed and disarmed these volatile firestorms. It's one of the Bible verses brought into our lives in the days after his death. The Apostle Paul wrote---


Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to

everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by

prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and

your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 4-7, ESV


It is the profound promise that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. What a blessing to know that his promised peace is the guardian of my soul. This peace is my only hope in a world that could ignite the worst in me. I don't really have to live this bunker mentality. It's because this peace keeps my emotions from inflaming my own heart and the people around me. It really is the guardian of my heart and mind.


The other day my friend Kathy Klopp posted this quote on FaceBook---


People say, "Why is God turning his back on the USA? " He didn't. We turned our backs

on him, and this what what a world without him looks like.


It's a world without peace, dangerous and potentially destructive. You see, without this spiritual peace, our emotions become inflamed, and peace with others is threatened. Without this peace, many of us seek refuge in the bunker mentality. And, peace then, is never lived or spoken.


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Writer's picturesonnyholmes

Our need for other humans is central to God's eternal plan. In the second creation narrative in Genesis 2 God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18, ESV). As a point of emphasis this declaration was the only portion of creation that was not pronounced good by God (see Genesis 1:4; 10; 12; 17; 21; 25; 31). To fill this need for partnership God created the animal kingdom and Adam named them and assessed each as a suitable companion for life. You know the rest. God created Eve from Adam's rib and she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. He equipped them to multiply and propagate the human species. Five or six thousand years later there are 7.8 billion humans. They are among our greatest blessings. And, at times, our most perplexing anxieties. Even so, we truly do need other people.

This is because none of us is the whole package. We have our individual strengths and abilities, talents, intellect, physical and emotional attributes, sinful nature, and a host of other unique assets and liabilities. Partnership with other human companions is our track to a more complete understanding of life. Pity the person who attempts to navigate the swift currents of this life alone. We were created to be linked to others.

And, that's been an issue over the past few months, The pandemic separated us more than any event in in recent history. Social distancing and quarantine ordinances forced us to the mean streets in basic isolation. Those human traits that put us at odds heated to extremes and relational emotions exploded in the streets. More evidence of how much we really need each other.

God assembles believers into the body of Christ, his church. Paul wrote, "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV). Earlier he had affirmed that "God has arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose" (1 Corinthians 12:18, ESV). In the whole spread of New Testament teaching about living the Christian life it is presumed that Christians will grow, minister, and serve in the context of a local congregation. The influence of others is essential to living the life Christ envisioned for his followers. Other people, our faith traveling companions, are one of his miraculous provisions for when we are lost in the woulds, that is, living aimless, unintentional lives.

There are many "one another" passages in the New Testament, at least fifty-nine of them. They specify where others should rank in our life priorities, and the Godly interaction between believers who encounter life together. I've been impressed with an "infographic" on the blog site of Christian writer and marketing whiz Jeffrey Granz and his artist wife Laura. it's a great summary of the one another passages. They have graciously given me permission to reference it in the venue. You can access it here.

My point is simple. Each of us should experience the "one another" influence of fellow believers as we struggle to live more intentionally. If administered as intended in Scripture, the believers in our circle will love, serve, teach, instruct, pray for, correct, rebuke, encourage, stimulate, and perform other actions to help us when we're lost in the woulds. This life is best lived in community, the church. Companions in the journey will enable us to live purposefully, on mission, with greater intent. Hebrews 10:24-25, is especially notable as a "one another" encouragement when my life circumstances throw me off track---

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to

meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more

as you see the Day drawing near.

Lost in the woulds? Clarify your destination. Discover where you are in your Christian commitments. And, travel arm in arm with others navigating the same difficult currents. That's the stuff of living intentionally.

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