Blessed are the peacemakers : Baptist Bible Hour

Blessed are the peacemakers

Posted by: Lasserre on November 3, 2011

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

In our Wednesday night studies of the Beatitudes, we recently considered the peacemakers.

The peacemakers will be called the children of God because God is honored by their peacemaking efforts.

To be a peacemaker a person cannot assume a passive position but must actively pursue peace.

It does not mean becoming an appeaser who seeks peace at any price; truth cannot be compromised. But we are instructed to “seek peace, and ensue it” (1 Peter 3:11).

A peacemaker desires to glorify God. Often in the midst of conflict a person thinks only of his own interests. His complaints, hurts, and desire to prove “I am right” takes precedence over everything else.

When our primary concern is to honor God then anger, bitterness, and resentment can be put aside.

Whether it is to resolve a conflict in a friendship, a marriage or a church, the peacemaker will look for biblical solutions and be willing to do what God commands.

Differences must be acknowledged and issues faced, but a peacemaker will not judge another’s motives (Matthew 7:1-2) or jump to conclusions (Proverbs 18:13). He or she will not rely on emotion or human wisdom (James 3:13-18), but prayerfully seek to apply the plain teaching of scripture.

Here is a basic command that cannot be misunderstood, “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Someone says, “I just can’t forgive,” but when you consider how God has forgiven you for Christ’s sake, how could you do anything but forgive?

Forgiven sinners should find it a joy to forgive others, settle differences, and make peace to the glory of God.

Recommended Resources: listen to The Pursuit of Peace and Things That Make For Peace

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