Peacemaker Wisdom is a series of blog posts that takes a 360-degree look at keys to interacting with others from a biblical perspective. This 360-degree look will help each of us handle conflict or tension in our relationships with actions that Glorify God. Subscribe to this blog today. Let’s look at our number five.
Proverbs 21:2–3 (NASB95)
2"Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. 3To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice."
Peacemaker Wisdom #5 of 360:
Relational Health here we come!
Right in my own eyes may not be right.
Often times as we help people in conflict they present their situation as if their view is the only view. They give themselves a lot of grace but look at the other person with a lot of judgment. Don’t get me wrong, I struggle with this same approach. It is nothing new. Look closely at these bible verses in proverbs.
“Every man’s way is right in his own eyes.” The bible is true, it's not that we want to be disingenuous. However, we often times tell ourselves a story that does not share the same perspective as God. What can we do in these situations? I think another bible verse will really help us come to the place of true reflection. We will come back to this proverb in a moment.
Look at Psalm 139:23-24
23"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way."
True humility will ask God to search us. True humility will ask God to know us. To test or try us. True humility will discover through God’s help the hurtful ways inside of us. God’s desire is to lead us in the everlasting way.
Peacemaker Wisdom #5 of 360:
Relational Health here we come!
The Lord weighs the heart.
See God does weigh our heart. Think of an old style of scales, He puts your heart on one side and his law on the other side. Your heart will lose every time, because your heart will not equal the weight of His law. The fact is this: there is only one way to balance the scales and that is through Jesus Christ. He is our reconciliation. He reconciles our account to God’s account.
When we apply this biblical concept to our relationships, we find out this: the only way we can balance our relational scales is with the help of Jesus. No action, no level of trust, no level of perfection will ever balance the scales in your relationships. You must apply Jesus or put Jesus on the scale.
Peacemaker Wisdom #5 of 360:
Relational Health here we come!
To do righteousness is desired by the Lord.
In our relationships we need to be willing “to do righteousness.” What does that mean? It's simple as we interact with others we need to be committed to doing what is right no matter how the other person responds. This can be very difficult at times. But let me give you a list of actions that God will always smile upon:
Peacemaker Wisdom #5 of 360:
Relational Health here we come!
To do justice is desired by the Lord.
Yes, God is just and desires justice. However, we must be careful that it is “His justice” and not “my justice.” Remember this: in the end God will make the unjust just.
What does this mean? What about the injustices I cause for others? We should care about restitution. We should care about making a wrong right. We should care about paying a debt or for damages. We are called to make amends. We are called to live out justice.
But we have to keep in mind that sometimes other people don’t want to act justly toward us. What do we do in that scenario? Although it is not simple, or an easy pill to swallow, God calls us to leave room for Him in these times.
Thank You for taking the time to evaluate and build wisdom into each of your relationships. Let us know your story of how God is changing your life and bringing peace into your relationships. Email your story to me at mystory@peacemaker.training
Now go out in peace, live in peace, and make peace.
P. Brian Noble