Last week I wrote a piece on life, and how it’s measured by the relationships we have. I stressed the importance of keeping differences from getting big enough to break friendships. But I wanted to make sure my readers don’t come away with a one-sided view of issues and conflict.
This world is a harsh place, and there is no room for people who value peace at any price.
Winston Churchill is famous for many things, one of which was the alligator analogy. He likened Neville Chamberlain’s response to Hitler as feeding a crocodile. No matter how much you give it, it’s only to going to want more. Appeasement is a delicate matter. The trick is knowing when and how far to go. Good news, though, because we have a guide to help us out with that. The Bible shows us just how far we should stretch to be at peace with those around us. In Romans it says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” And in Acts it says, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” The line is drawn for us in the sand. We must we be willing to do whatever it takes to be at peace with those around us, except when doing so will violate the law of God.
In such cases, it is our duty, our holy calling, to fight for what is right—no matter the cost.
The reality of history shows us that most major conflicts revolve around a struggle between opposing views of truth, and what it means in terms of practical application. And when voices all around scream for peace in the midst of such a struggle, it is the sacred duty of all who know the Truth to ignore such pressures and stand strong, sword in hand, against the forces of evil. Sometimes that evil is a dictator from a far-away land. Sometimes that evil is someone we dearly love. And sometimes that evil stands within our very own soul. This is why fighting against someone can sometimes be synonymous with fighting FOR them. When our boys landed at Omaha beach in Normandy, France, we were fighting against hundreds of thousands of German soldiers. But while we were shooting at them and in many cases killing them, we were fighting FOR them as well, for their families, for their children and grandchildren to know a world without the tyranny of Nazism. War is always ugly and brutal, but it all comes down to the penultimate question: Would you rather live as a slave, or die free? As hard as it is for some people to admit, freedom has always fetched a fatal price. And it always will.
As you walk through the various relationships of your life, remember God’s admonitions. When your co-worker manipulates their way past you into a promotion, do everything you can to be at peace with them. God is in ultimately in control, and justice will always be served sooner or later. But when that same co-worker asks why you don’t go to the nightclubs with the guys, it’s time to stand up and give them the real reason instead of slushing your way through some lame excuse.
Don’t take it from me, take it from the Almighty Creator of the Universe (kind of an important-sounding title, am I right?): “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” – I Timothy 6:12
Liberty Over Death 