Promises of Peace #14

We saw in Hebrews the other day the writer's exhortation to these struggling believers to remember and cling to the peace God offered them in Christ.  In the last two chapters he gives a number of challenges to them, like in chapter 12:
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

It is our responsibility to help maintain the spirit of peace among the people of God. What detracts from it? Impure living that affects everyone around us, bitterness that settles in and festers, pulling us apart; immorality which gives in to selfish satisfaction for temporary fulfillment.  Peace requires thinking in terms of the long haul, the consequences of our actions, and the ultimate goal: the eternal glory of God.  Peace is not shallow; it is not short-lived; it is not selfish.  It's something for which we must strive.