“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
Beloved,
Are you a peace-maker or a peace-breaker? It is easy to be a peace-breaker. Naturally, we are all peace-breakers. We all have broken peace with God in our sinful rebellion against His loving rule. The Bible says that without Christ we are God’s enemies. An enemy does not speak of peace, but war. Without Christ, we are at war with God.
Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God has made peace with his enemies, us, through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So by faith in Jesus, we have peace with God. God is the ultimate peace-maker. Paul challenges us in Ephesians 5:1 to be, “imitators of God, as beloved children.” Like our Heavenly Father, we are called to be peacemakers.
Although we are called to be peacemakers, are we known for making peace? Churches are often accused of being places of division and strife, but that accusation does not imitate our Peacemaking God. It is easy to be a peace-breaker, but we have a higher calling. Our calling is to make peace. We make peace by living as forgiven saints who have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Son, whom God loves.
So how do we break peace?
· By harboring bitterness towards the brethren
· By tearing down people with our words
· By talking of someone’s sin rather than gently confronting someone in their sin
· By neglecting the gathering of the saints
· By avoiding people rather than going to them in love with forgiveness.
The world is full of peace-breakers. We have been called to be peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Peace-making is hard work, but there is nothing better than being called a son of God. So are you a peace-maker or a peace-breaker?
Beloved, let us be imitators of God by being peacemakers.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave
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