August 5, 2014

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" Matthew 5:9

The seventh of eight Beatitudes deals with the highly valued commodity of peace. Like other coveted commodities, it is valuable because it is rare.

We have been learning that the first four Beatitudes teach what you can do to get right with God and the second four detail the spiritual evidence of a heart made right.

A righteous heart displays mercy, helping those who seek to hurt him.

A righteous heart is pure, motivated by the love of God in thoughts and deeds.

And, a righteous heart produces a peacemaker.

You may not know precisely what Jesus meant when He referred to peacemakers in this verse, but you can recognize a peacemaker when one walks into the room. Peacemakers have a way of bringing peace with them wherever they go.

In contrast, there are those who when they walk into a room bring tension that is palpable.

Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker?

We will answer that conclusively over the next few posts, but first, let’s dispel some misconceptions of peace. Peace is not:

Absence of conflict. 

Peace in the Bible is never to be confused with silence induced by pacifism or intimidation.

Ignoring a point conflict or remaining silence in the face of obvious wrong is not what Jesus meant by peace.

Avoidance of strife. 

Never are we instructed to run from conflict. Putting our head in the sand, hoping that the conflict will end, only delays the inevitable. Cowardly avoidance of a necessary confrontation is not the peace Jesus was referencing.

Appeasement of parties. 

The “peace at any price” mentality is far from biblical command. I have discovered that you can never make everyone happy all the time, but I am called to make God happy all the time by doing right.

Accommodation of issues.

The person who glosses over the problems, acting as if everything is alright when it is not is not a peacemaker.

Biblical peace is closely linked with justice and righteousness. Therefore, ignoring injustice or compromising righteousness to avoid confrontation is not the peace that pleases Jesus.

You cannot be a peacemaker until you make peace with God through Christ. When you are at peace with God you will convey His peace wherever you go. You will also have the wisdom to know when to disturb the peace and the courage to confront injustice.

Will you be a peacemaker today?