As I look out over the lake this morning, it is very calm and serene. At this moment it seems everything around me is at peace. However, there is a storm brewing not far away, and soon the rains and wind will come. We live in a world where there is little peace. Turn on the TV and there will be a riot, a war, or a conflict story somewhere in the news. This is not what God intended when He created everything. God’s creation was perfect until sin entered the heart of man. David understood the world we live in when he penned Psalm 120. He longed for peace but lived among those who hated peace. David could have easily been describing the world we live in today.
Psalm 120:6-7 “My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.”
God wants us to be like David, to recognize the need for peace, and to have the desire to do something about it. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:9 that those who are peacemakers shall be called the children of God. The reward of those who are peacemakers adds much to the definition of a peacemaker. We understand that to be a child of God, adopted into the family of God, we must be saved. Just keeping peace with those around us does not warrant salvation. Salvation is a gift from God that is given to us when we seek forgiveness and turn away from our sins. If we are a peacemaker, we will be a child of God and we will be blessed, happy, or fully satisfied.
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
To be a peacemaker we must have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. He is the author of true peace. He is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
I Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
When we are peacemakers, we will strive to keep peace among those we associate with, especially among the brethren. We are to love one another, and unless it’s a matter of right and wrong, we are to yield to one another to keep the peace. A peacemaker is not worried about his rights or his feelings. He is not worried about himself at all. His sole desire is to do all that He does to please His Father and do it with his whole heart. Being a peacemaker is just another act of obedience to honor His Father.
Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
It is also a testimony to the world when we keep peace among those who profess to be born again. This is one of the ways that the world knows we are real. In John 13:35, he makes that clear that the love we have for one another is a testimony. If we truly love we will seek peace.
John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”
When we have peace with God through redemption, we will have the peace of God. When we have the peace of God it will change our attitude about everyone we encounter. We are called to be peacemakers. We are to seek to prevent contention and strife, especially among believers. We are to use our influence to seek to reconcile those who are at odds with one another. We are never to take a brother or sister to court. As a believer, we are to settle our issues with believers. Those who are not saved are living under a different set of rules to govern their life, we are to live under the law of love and that will promote peace among believers. This is God’s plan and it honors Him. Those who lead their lives to promote peace are acting in a manner like God. He is the great peacemaker; He went to the greatest of lengths to extend peace to us, by the giving of His Son so that we could be reconciled with Him.
If we want to be known as a child of God, to be fully satisfied in Him, we need to be a peacemaker in every situation possible. Think about what a joy life would be in the church, and in families if we all seek peace with one another. Determine today you will be a peacemaker.
