The NIV 365 Day Devotional
Sowing Seeds of Peace
Want to see a miracle? Try this.
Take a seed the size of a freckle. Put it under several inches of dirt. Give it enough water, light, and fertilizer. And get ready. A mountain will be moved. It doesn’t matter that the ground is a zillion times the weight of the seed. The seed will push it back.
Every spring, dreamers around the world plant tiny hopes in overturned soil. And every spring, their hopes press against impossible odds and blossom.
Never underestimate the power of a seed.
As far as I know, James, the letter writer, wasn’t a farmer, but he knew the power of a seed sown in fertile soil.
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (Jas 3:18).
The principle for peace is the same as the principle for crops: Never underestimate the power of a seed.
How good are you at sowing seeds of peace?
Pause for a moment and think about the people who make up your world. Take a stroll through the gallery of faces that are significant to you.
Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heart-deep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens. Never underestimate the power of a seed.
Consider:
- How have you seen peace work like a seed?
- If peace works like a seed, how do you water it?
- What is the quickest way to erode peace between friends?
- Once an argument has started, why is it so difficult to stop?
- What things destroy your inner peace?
- What sense of responsibility do you feel for living peaceably with the people around you?
- In what kinds of life situations is it most difficult to sow peace?
- How does your life function differently when you are living at peace with others?
Taken from The NIV Lucado Encouraging Word Bible.