BECOMING A ‘PEACEMAKER’ IS ACHIEVABLE WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.”
(Matthew 5:9)

MEDITATION:
There was a preacher’s son who was in a class in a liberal college.
One day the professor said,
“Christians ought never to have any enemies.
We ought never to be controversial.”

And then he said,
“What we need to do is to follow the example of Jesus.”

The boy lifted his hand and said,
“If Jesus Christ was so beautifully tactful and diplomatic,
how did He manage to get Himself crucified?”

Peace does not necessarily mean a calmness or appeasement.
It is a right relationship with God,
that leads to a right relationship with self,
and guides us into right relationships with others.

Literally, peace is a fruit of righteousness.
It is the righteousness of God ruling and reigning in our heart
that results in a peaceful attitude (even in the midst of turmoil).
If He is not ruling and reigning, then we cannot expect to have peace.

Did you catch the last part of the scripture above?
It says that when we strive to be peacemakers,
We will be called “children of God”!
Isn’t that what we all want ultimately?

ACTION:
Read Hebrews 12:14.
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone
and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord”.

The scriptures give us instructions, and a warning.
If we expect to see the Lord, then we must seek to become holy.
So, how do we do that?
God’s Word says that we should strive
“to live in peace with everyone”.

Think about that for a moment.
In order to live in peace with others, we need to become less selfish.
Some make the mistake of clinging to their selfishness
while trying to live a life of peace with others.

But the truth is, selfishness will always
get in the way at some point and cause conflict, right?
We can’t have it both ways.
Not only will selfishness result in conflicts with others,
but it also causes frustration in our own lives, because
everything will not always be the way we want it to be.

Jesus gave us the ultimate example
of sacrifice when He went to the cross for us.
We may not be asked to give our life for someone
else, but we can certainly sacrifice our selfishness
in an effort to be at peace with others, which will help
us in becoming more holy, so that we “will see the Lord”.

Take an introspective view of your own life.
Are there existing conflicts you have with others?
How do you plan to resolve them and become a peacemaker?
Be honest, are the conflicts a result of your own selfishness?

Do you get upset and ‘pitch a fit’
whenever things aren’t the way you want them to be?
That is an indication of selfishness, and you know in your
own heart that it is something you have not sacrificed.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which
instructs me, and convicts me of my own failures.
I realize that I am a work in progress and that my
selfishness will always inhibit my growth as a Christian,
and prevent me from being called ‘a child of Yours’.
Forgive me for failing to sacrifice my own selfishness
so that I can become more holy. Help me to overcome
any denials of selfishness and teach me how to become
more at peace with others.”