Because the Spirit of the Prince of Peace dwells in the hearts of believing Christians, they approve themselves children of peace. They show no envious, quarrelsome disposition, as do the contentious children of this world. They would rather suffer wrong than do wrong and often forfeit their just rights rather than go to law or quarrel with their neighbor. Moved by their Savior's Spirit, they even love their enemies, bless those that curse them, do good to those that hate them, and will pray for them which despitefully use them and persecute them, that they may be obedient children of their Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).

As much as lies in them, Christians live peacefully with all men, forgo wrath and vengeance, and are not overcome of evil, but overcome evil by doing good. Even where they contend for the faith as committed once unto the saints, where they zealously defend the pure Gospel truth and denounce all false doctrine and ungodly life, they do so with a loving heart and have but one blessed purpose, namely, to bring their erring brethren to Him who alone is our Peace and who alone can give abiding peace to the troubled conscience and bring the sinner to true peace with God.

So many misguided Christians nowadays are crying: "Peace! Peace! Let all warring denominations bury their differences and unite in one common liberal faith and one outwardly peaceful church." But such peace means the grave of the Gospel, it means death to the sinner's hope of salvation in the free grace of Christ. God save us from such a graveyard peace and endow us with the Spirit of our blessed Lord that we may ever acquit ourselves like children of His saving peace amid the clamor of this quarrelsome and contentious world.

[devotion text by Rev. F. W. Herzberger (1920) -
from the Family Altar - CPH (1957 edition)]
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