Daily Devotional For Saturday, August 31, 2024
Yes, it is Saturday and the weekend is here finally. Let’s look at the next Beatitudes in our devotional, which is Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (NASB). We are currently living in the age of rage. There are protests and demonstrations on our college campuses and universities primarily from anti-semitic people. These anti-peacemakers feel free to destroy both public and private property with no regard to the owners and their expense to get them repaired.
I wonder how they would feel if the victims decided to do a little “golden rule” on them – treat these protestors’ property the way they treated the victims’ property? What stands out to me in Jesus’ words here is that God wants us to be peacemakers. It is so important to Him that He put in The Beatitudes. The Bible opens in Genesis with God bringing peace and order out of nothing and then ends in Revelation with peace in a new heaven and new earth. But everything else in the Bible is filled with how sin has created chaos, death, divorce, pain, wars, etc. Isaiah 9:6, God gave a prophecy that one day peace would come not as some abstract or intellectual construct, but as a person – “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (NASB).
One of the harsh realities we all live with is that peace does not often characterize our hearts. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said, "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading." Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:
“In 1968 a major newspaper reported that there had been to that date 14,553 known wars since thirty-six years before Christ. Since 1945 there have been some seventy or so wars and nearly two hundred internationally significant outbreaks of violence. Since 1958 nearly one hundred nations have been involved in some form of armed conflict.
Some historians have claimed that the United States has had two generations of peace—one from 1815 to 1846 and the other from 1865 to 1898. But that claim can only be made if you exclude the Indian wars, during which our land was bathed in Indian blood” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 210).
A lot of well meaning people have attempted to bring about world peace, but their efforts have all failed. It is my observation that the world does not honor peace as much as it honors national heroes who were engaged in some war or battle. We erect statues and paintings of them and immortalize them in history books and classes. Many people in the church know more about their war heroes than they know the Bible or Christ. In this seventh Beatitude, the peacemaker that God challenges us to be is to give peace that the world can manufacture nor give.
In the Upper Room just hours from His crucifixion, Jesus said these words to His disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (NASB). The peace which Jesus was speaking about had nothing to do with military armies, politics, United Nations discussion panels or truces or statesmanship, arbitration or compromises or treaties. The peace with Jesus speaks to us is not the kind of peace that seeks peace at any price. Christ’s peace confronts problems and seeks to resolve them and restore and reconcile those who are at odds with each other. This means that Christ’s peace can cause pain, struggles, and even hardships as the path to healing. In terms of discipleship, we must remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:34-36:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (35) For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; (36) and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household” (NASB).
So, let’s break down what this word “peacemaker” is. It is the Greek New Testament word [εἰρηνοποιός, eirenopoios]. “Peacemaker” is based on the Greek New Testament word for “peace” which is [εἰρήνη, eirene]. The Hebrew word is [שָׁלוֹם, shalom]. “The Hebrew word never refers exclusively to a negative state – meaning the absence of trouble. It refers to that which makes for a person’s highest good” – Souce: William Barclay, The New Daily Study Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” Vol. 1, p. 125).
Notice in this Beatitude that Jesus puts the emphasis for peace on the peacemakers, not peace-lovers. It is common that those who love peace can go about it in the wrong way and instead of making peace, they make more pain. We see this with people when confronted about dealing with a bad situation will say, “Well, I don’t want to rock the boat” or “I don’t want to make a bad situation worse.” By not doing anything thinking you are being a peacemaker, you are actually making the situation worse. This is why biblical peace does not evade issues; it confronts them. It isn’t afraid to come face-to-face and deal with the issue.
To quote William Barclay again:
“What this beatitude demands is not the passive acceptance of things because we are afraid of the trouble of doing anything about them, but the active facing of things, and the making of peace, even when the way to peace is through struggle” (Source: William Barclay, The New Daily Bible Study Commentary Bible, “Matthew,” p. 125).
Being a peacemaker is no easy task. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this:
“A peacemaker seeks resolutions to arguments and debates. A peacemaker works hard to keep offenses from festering into fractured relationships. A peacemaker’s words generate light but not heat. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” It is important to note, however, that being a peacemaker does not amount to being a passive person who lies down like a doormat and lets people walk all over them. The kind of peacemaking referred to here is active, not passive. Peacemakers are engaged in a ministry of reconciliation and restoration, entering troubled waters to help bring calm. In this way, they model in this life the ministry of Jesus, the Son of God, who came preaching peace and reconciliation to those willing to hear” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Matthew 1-15,” Vol. 1A, p. 90).
Questions To Consider
- When you know there is something wrong, do you choose “not to rock the boat,” or do you rock it? Why?
- In your own home, are you a peacemaker or do you create more stress, anxiety, and pain?
- Do you seek peace at any price? Are you a people-pleaser?
- Justice demands we jump in and “overturn the tables” at times like Jesus did. Is this you? Why or why not?
- Do you have a ministry of reconciliation and restoration – bringing factions, Christians or anyone at odds with each other together to forgive and heal?
Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 12:14, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want that peace that passes all understanding. I want to be able to give that same kind of peace to others. Please show me how to do this and please give me opportunities to do it. Help me have a ministry of reconciliation and restoration of anyone who harbors grudges against one another and even to You. I do not want to seek peace at any price. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly