//James 4:1-10 | Andrew Lundy

There are many valuable pieces to our relationship with God. One of these essential pieces is peace. This forces us to ask ourselves, “Is my life missing peace?” On Sunday, we learned three ways in which peace can be pursued. One is peace with others. Our fights with other people come from our unmet desires; in fact, we can probably trace all our relational conflicts to some unmet expectation we have of someone else. Paul said in Romans 12:18 we should live peaceably with all, as much as it depends on us. We must pursue peace with others in the same way God pursued peace with us, before our hearts naturally take root in bitterness, which can defile many in our church. We also need to pursue peace within. Much of our internal turmoil comes from an innate dissatisfaction with our lives. We expect others to give us what only God can. Christ alone is the living water which always quenches our thirst. Finally, and most importantly, we must pursue peace with God. If we resolve to be a friend to the world, we set ourselves up as enemies of God. And who would ever want God as an enemy? Only by true repentance and humility can we draw near to God, and in turn, He draw near to us. That alone is our hope -- where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.