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| Gibbons at Cincinnati Zoo. (They can be noisy as well.) |
My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace.
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 120:6-7, New King James Version.
Are you aware how few people there are who truly desire peace? They won't admit it. They'll probably tell you their goal is peace. But peace always follows, for them, the unconditional surrender of their opponents. No, no compromise, no win-win solution. They insist on complete victory.
Example one. Did you notice the length of time it took between the SCOTUS decision making gay marriage legal and the focus on transgenderism? Days? More like hours. After all, not everybody agrees with their agenda, and they can't have that.
Example two. I read a book by a former worship leader who thinks the whole church should go back to traditional hymns instead of contemporary songs. The author pointed out the contemporaries should seek the interests of the traditionals, citing Philippians 2:4. But wouldn't that verse imply traditionals should seek the interests of the contemporaries? Total silence. Until the end of the book where he states going back to hymns is just the start; we also need to go back to hymnals instead of overhead projectors.
Example three. Have you noticed how peaceful pacifists are in speaking out against war? Not always the case.
But we can spend too much time looking at everybody else without figuring out how we can be a pattern of being at peace with all other fellow believers. Yes, it's easier said than done, but there are times we fight others when we should be at peace with them.
