BEATITUDES: PEACEMAKERS

Pursuing peace is a rare task in our world today, but that is exactly what a peacemaker does. They are someone who ultimately desires to pursue peace. Although peacemakers can be mediators in conflict, they can also be a party in a conflict, but, despite this, as long as their end goal is peace, they are considered peacemakers. While many people live to be offended and find reasons to avoid peace, a true peacemaker finds this rationale foreign. In fact, the peacemaker will go to extremes, including humbling themselves, to find peace. There is no doubt that this world is in desperate need for peacemakers. Unfortunately, if we are being honest, the Church has just as much need for these tranquil and caring souls as the world does. In fact, some of the most gruesome conflicts have happened between two members of the Body of Christ. So much pride and stubbornness can fill the pews on Sunday mornings, such as taking pointless, firm stands on peripheral doctrine that leads to a lack of co-laboring and peace. Can I be completely transparent for a second? Satan wins when we, as the Body of Christ, fight! I understand that there are some things that we must break fellowship over, but that list is much smaller than many believe. I pray that we will adopt a peacemaker’s heart, and seek reasons for peace instead of reasons for strife.

The reward of the peacemaker (apart from living with more blessed peace than others do) is to be called sons (or daughters) of God. In other words, being a peacemaker is proof of your inheritance in Christ. Just like a Kennedy is expected to be political, so is a child of God to be peaceable. It should be part of our nature as God’s kids. In fact, you could say it’s a family trait! May we all, as Children of God, recklessly pursue peace! Jesus did. He stood between the wrath of God and the depravity of man and absorbed the blows to enable our peace. Now that is an example worth following!