Live Peaceably

"IF it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men"

Romans 12:18

I was pleased to see these two birds cooperating with each other at our bird feeder.  The female Cardinal and yellow-bellied Sapsucker were sharing quite nicely.  I was especially glad to see this since we have another bird that's been frequenting the feeder and acting quite ugly with the other birds. 

The yellow-rumped Warbler is a smaller bird, but he doesn't let that stop him from acting like a big, selfish pig.  Yes, it appears that a bird can act like a pig as he hogs the feeders and tries to keep other birds away.  The Warbler chases smaller birds from the feeder and perches on the pole like he owns the place.  The Warbler even flies after little birds in nearby bushes in order to keep them from nearing what he considers to be "his domain."

Have you ever known someone who is like the Warbler?  Some people are so contrary they chase people away with unkind words, selfish motives and/or callous actions.  If you have a yellow-rumped Warbler in your life, you need a lot of prayer - both for said Warbler, and for yourself.  We are told in Hebrews 12:14:  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."  Pursing peace with a Warbler is a tall order, but our God can accomplish the impossible, and my, what a victory when a peace accord can be reached with a prickly person!

The Lord Jesus tells us in the book of John, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" 13:34. 

Even before Jesus made that statement in John, He gave us the two greatest commandments in all of the Bible, indeed - in all of the world.  When He was asked what was the first commandment of all?  He answered, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."
These verse are found in Mark 12, Matthew 22, and Deuteronomy 6.

If we obey the first command, I've no doubt the second command will come quite naturally to us.