October 22, 2020 - It was in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:9 that Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” For more than 20 centuries this great word has been knocking at the closed door of the hearts of men and women, largely in vain. We have said yes with our lips. Yet, in our hearts, we have said, “blessed are the sowers of discord.” Blessed are the war makers and blessed are the fomenters of strife. We see it every day in our land.
We must understand that to make peace is to do far more than merely abolish strife. It is to do more than cause folks to be peaceable. It is quite possible that we may keep the peace without having peace. We may bring about cessation of strife without in any real sense being peacemakers.
The peacemaker Jesus speaks of does a positive work. This individual puts an end to strife by bringing in the opposite of strife. This person does not pull up the noxious weeds of discord and enmity and hate one by one and leave the garden bare. Rather, this person sows and cultivates such a luxuriant crop of love, joy, peace, and long-suffering that the disturbing weeds are all crowded out.
We live in a world that is filled with and characterized by fighting. It affects every level of our society. In this continual strife, God calls His people to be peacemakers. However, to be a peacemaker, it involves first making peace with God through Jesus Christ.
It’s something to think about…tbp
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
