Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14 NIV
Pursue Peace
Canadian sovereignty is based on the principle that the national government in Ottawa controls the laws and political procedures within the political and geographical boundaries of Canada. The exercise of Canadian law sets our geographical boundaries over the Arctic Archipelago and the seas in between the archipelago’s islands. The “Northwest Passage” (in fact, there are two versions of the passage) is an exception which the United States claims as an international waterway. There are one or two more disagreements over sea boundaries, such as the Beaufort Sea.
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There is a lot of anger in the world. There are entire TV networks focusing on trials and investigations of crimes. One show, Fear Thy Neighbour, even rejigs the Bible phrase “Love thy neighbour” to report on disputes between neighbours, almost always ending in the tragic death of somebody. While this kind of thing is far too common in our world, it ought not to be lived out in the lives of those who follow Jesus. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” The Bible is realistic in its understanding of human nature. Notice here it says, “make every effort to live in peace with everyone…” This isn’t always easy, because there are those who are difficult people and who make life miserable for everyone. But as a follower of Christ, we are to make every effort to make peace with them and others. After all, we are reminded, we are to be holy, set apart to represent Jesus and His Kingdom to those around us – even the challenging people.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley