AFReG Devotions 2022
March 29, 2022
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. (ESV)
How joyful you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognized as a true child of God. (TPT)
Nothing draws us to desire peace more than when there is an ongoing situation where peace is absent. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has the whole world clamoring against it. Vigils, protests, sanctions, and other measures are all being raised to deter the violence and mayhem being caused in this war that does not seem to make sense. Lack of peace at a scale such as the world is witnessing comes from a belief that what one wants to achieve or feels entitled to (President Putin in this case) is so justifiable that anything, even the loss of human life, is worth sacrificing to obtain it. Something must be very wrong when the sanctity of human life is lost. There cannot be blessings or joy associated with such a pursuit.
In contrast, those who pursue peace are blessed. They are joyful and happy. This is the identifier of those who are sons of God. What is peace and how does one become a peacemaker?
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups[1]. It is a desirable dispensation if a people are to develop, grow, enjoy their relationships, and appreciate their environment. Jesus Christ came to bring peace on earth as the song of the angelic host declared to the shepherds who heard about His birth. Peace in the Hebrew language is Shalom which encompasses peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, soundness, health, safety, and tranquility—the entity of what restoration in Christ carries. This is the embodiment of the life in abundance that Jesus Christ came to bring.
How does one become a peacemaker? One carries Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace—in their hearts and lives out the life He lived (1 John 2:6). Christ, lived out through us, will manifest the fruit of the Spirit which includes peace (Galatians 5:22). The wisdom of God, which such a person will manifest, is first of all pure then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (James 3:17, ESV). Verse 18 of James chapter 3 in the Passion Translation brings it home by stating that “Good seeds of wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace.” There are many opportunities for us to plant acts of peace all around us every day. Let us look for the prayer that needs to be made, the word that needs to be spoken, gifts that need to be expressed, and wisdom that needs to be shared to avert offense and conflict in our families and communities. This is surely demonstrable love. We are never more like Christ than when we do this.
We are also peacemakers when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple people to walk like Him. Fulfilling the Great Commission and the Great Commandment should be every believer’s chief pursuit—practically making peace, distinguishing ourselves as true children of God.
[1] Wikipedia