By David ReayFriday 23 Oct 2015LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Matthew 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. (NIV)
Peace is in pretty short supply. In our world, in our nation, in our churches and community groups, in our families, and even in ourselves. Most people seem to want peace but it is easier to desire it than to achieve it.
Those who work for peace between human beings reflect something of the character of God who is the great peacemaker. And we can note that God offers peace not by sweeping problems under the carpet, or being a ‘nice guy’. The great peace-making gesture of God cost the life of his Son.
Peacemakers, therefore, are not starry-eyed idealists who overlook human imperfection. God certainly didn’t. We make peace not by denying the problems but by facing them and creatively working to overcome them.
And one critically important dimension of overcoming human disharmony is to bring human beings peace with God. As Paul says in Ephesians, God reconciling people to himself results in the possibility of warring human beings being at peace with each other. One sort of peace is the context for another sort of peace.
We become peacemakers by first having a measure of peace within ourselves and most importantly, the peace with God which comes through Jesus. We seek to become those who seek to leave a trail of healing in our wake, not a trail of wreckage.
Blessings
David Reay