Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
In one of the most challenging times in our country, I saw a beautiful example of a peacemaker. Riots were happening all over the United States; fires were burning; chaos was happening throughout our streets. To complicate things more, Covid-19 ran rampant throughout the United States and much of the world, creating deep fear within the hearts and minds of all people - black, white, Hispanic, Chinese, European, etc. Peace was hard to find in those challenging days!
Right in the center of that fear and the chaos of a riot, a picture was taken of a police officer with his hand laid upon the shoulder of one of the rioters. The police officer was not harassing the man or even reprimanding him for his actions. Instead, both of their heads were bowed in prayer. In that prayer, a bridge was made between a white man and a black man, one who was called to enforce the law and one who had broken the law. Prayer brought peace and healing between those with bowed heads.
So how do we follow the policeman's lead of becoming a peacemaker? It begins with recognizing that we have peace with the Father through his Son. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). As God's reconciled people, we now have a call on our lives to be reconcilers. Do you know that? Do you live into that? The world seems to thrive on creating division. Just look at the media today. There is no celebration of peace. The more animosity they stir up within the people, the more viewers seem to tune in to hear the next big story, the next big scandal. While people become polarized, the media makes a lot of money.
As God's people, we are not to live in this division. We are not to run from our enemies but to listen to them, to hear their hearts and their needs, and to seek a way forward that unites us. We won't always agree with people, but that does not mean there cannot be peace between us. A peacemaker is one who seeks to overcome evil with good. A peacemaker is one who seeks peace with everyone, not just the people who think like them, look like them, or act like them. A peacemaker is one who seeks to know people and to show compassion to them as opposed to judgement.
To be a peacemaker requires humility, submission to the Lord, and a powerful equipping by God's Spirit. Where the enemy seeks to divide us, the Lord seeks to unite us. Let's choose to align ourselves with the Lord while we resist the work of our enemy. Through Christ, we too, can be reconcilers.
Reflection:
Are you seeking to live as a peacemaker? Where would the Lord like to further your work in this area?
In one of the most challenging times in our country, I saw a beautiful example of a peacemaker. Riots were happening all over the United States; fires were burning; chaos was happening throughout our streets. To complicate things more, Covid-19 ran rampant throughout the United States and much of the world, creating deep fear within the hearts and minds of all people - black, white, Hispanic, Chinese, European, etc. Peace was hard to find in those challenging days!
Right in the center of that fear and the chaos of a riot, a picture was taken of a police officer with his hand laid upon the shoulder of one of the rioters. The police officer was not harassing the man or even reprimanding him for his actions. Instead, both of their heads were bowed in prayer. In that prayer, a bridge was made between a white man and a black man, one who was called to enforce the law and one who had broken the law. Prayer brought peace and healing between those with bowed heads.
So how do we follow the policeman's lead of becoming a peacemaker? It begins with recognizing that we have peace with the Father through his Son. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). As God's reconciled people, we now have a call on our lives to be reconcilers. Do you know that? Do you live into that? The world seems to thrive on creating division. Just look at the media today. There is no celebration of peace. The more animosity they stir up within the people, the more viewers seem to tune in to hear the next big story, the next big scandal. While people become polarized, the media makes a lot of money.
As God's people, we are not to live in this division. We are not to run from our enemies but to listen to them, to hear their hearts and their needs, and to seek a way forward that unites us. We won't always agree with people, but that does not mean there cannot be peace between us. A peacemaker is one who seeks to overcome evil with good. A peacemaker is one who seeks peace with everyone, not just the people who think like them, look like them, or act like them. A peacemaker is one who seeks to know people and to show compassion to them as opposed to judgement.
To be a peacemaker requires humility, submission to the Lord, and a powerful equipping by God's Spirit. Where the enemy seeks to divide us, the Lord seeks to unite us. Let's choose to align ourselves with the Lord while we resist the work of our enemy. Through Christ, we too, can be reconcilers.
Reflection:
Are you seeking to live as a peacemaker? Where would the Lord like to further your work in this area?
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