Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness… (James 3:18).

You know, for a long time I’ve been reading this verse wrong.

I thought it said, “Peacemakers who sow peace…”  I figured it was a, “You reap what you sow,” kind of passage.  But that’s not what it says in my Bible.  It says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace…”

So what does that mean?

Well, first of all, James is talking to those who are peacemakers, dedicating themselves to bringing peace between Man and Man as well as between Man and God.  Does that description fit you?

Something to chew on, ya?

Then James says that they are sowing in peace.  They are not stressed.  They are not striving.  They’re just planting seeds.  I’m not a farmer, but I’ve done a little gardening, and I’ve learned a thing or two.

Thing One: There’s a lot you can do to ensure a good harvest.

Thing Two: There’s a lot you can’t.

Gardening is a lot like farming which is a lot like our spiritual lives.  You prepare the soil, plant good seed, water well, guard against weeds and critters, and trust God for the rest.  If you realize that the harvest is not on your shoulders, that God is ultimately in control of what grows, then you can be at peace, doing your best and trusting God for the outcome.

I’m not saying it’s easy…I’m just saying it is.

So, once again, it all comes back to trusting God. You can no more create spiritual fruit than you can force rutabagas to appear.

Not that you would want to.

You may have noticed that wherever I start with one of these devotions, I end up in the same place—trust God.

I guess I’m kind of a one-trick pony.

Sow in peace, Beloved.  He’s got the harvest covered.