WHY YOU MUST MAKE PEACE! (PART 1)

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

July 26th 2019

Today’s word is one of the eight beatitudes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The beatitudes form the climax, most controversial and the boldest of the master’s teachings. Each of the beatitudes seems to drive a nail into a coffin – the coffin containing the corpse of false teachings and beliefs regarding the issues of salvation as well as a peaceful co-existence among humans. The false teaching says that a person can inherit eternal life even if his attitudes and actions are criminal, immoral and at variance with what God would expect of us in certain situations. The beatitudes are a call to all to have a new heart; a heart of gold if you like!  For instance, the Master says; “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. . .. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. . . . Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” If we don’t obtain mercy, we receive judgment. If we don’t see God, we are not in heaven. If we aren’t called the sons of God, we are outside the family. These are all descriptions of final salvation, and it is promised only to the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. In order to drive home the point, Jesus says “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). At the very end of the sermon, Jesus looked at the crowd and says: “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” This means that your obedience to the Beatitudes will set your foot on the path of salvation. But if you choose to be religious only, without truly imbibing the spirit of the word, then you won’t have salvation! One notable feature of this teaching is a reminder that God himself is a peace-loving God. Therefore He wants His children to become peacemakers as well. The scripture says of God; “He made peace by the blood of the cross” (Colossians 1:20). In another instance, the scripture says; “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Therefore, God’s children should have the character of their father – they must be peacemakers in order to be true children of God. This means that we must be ready to make a sacrifice in order that peace may reign. The scripture says God sacrificed His only begotten son in order to make peace with man. Ask yourself this morning, what are your peace efforts in your family, in your community, in your country, and in the world at large? When we refuse to make peace, then we cause violence to reign. The reason we fight wars is because we can’t agree to make peace in difficult situations. If we want peace to reign in our world or in our family, then we must be ready to make the sacrifice to create peace; this has to be a deliberate effort on our parts; individually and collectively. Let peace start with you today! When there is peace, there is harmony and wellbeing for all. Today, I ask that you begin a peace effort by extending an olive branch to that person in your family, in your community and in your workplace.    

 PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the prince of peace. Thank you for your word today.  Give me your heart of peace, so that through me, peace may extend throughout the world.  Let peace and reconciliation reign in my life and in my family henceforth. Thank you, Lord. AMEN

FURTHER READING: Matthew 10:34