Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
I have been thinking about this great verse and the powerful promise of being called a child of God. Usually, I have usually looked at this verse in terms of what a peacemaker does, but today I want us to consider what a peacemaker is. What makes a peacemaker?
First of all a peacemaker is one who has experienced the peace of God for themselves. It is impossible to be a person who gives others peace unless you have tasted it personally. This peace that God gives us in not an absence of conflict, but is instead the presence of God in the midst of conflict. Knowing that you are where God called you to be, living the life God called you to live, and serving God with the pure heart He desires from us creates a Godly calm that can't be understood outside of God. After tasting the peace of God, then we are well qualified to be a peacemaker and testify about the peace that passes understanding.
The prophet Isaiah sang to God, The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. So, a peacemaker is one who possesses the peace that God grants to us based upon our FAITH in Him. This is not possession in the same sense that we might possess a car or other objects. This possession is like the inheritance of certain traits from our parents that are embedded into our DNA. I have blue eyes, big hands, and not much hair because those traits are embedded into the basic components of who I am... In the same way, Jesus tells us that the traits of peacemaking will identify us as children of God because they are embedded into our spiritual identity. That natural ability to walk by faith and trust God when all hell is breaking loose sets us apart and brings peace in the midst of the storm. It is that same kind of heart that allows Paul after being shipwrecked and snake bit to shake the snake off in the fire and continue on without breaking his pace. People take note of that kind of peace and draw from it for their own lives.
Jesus says that as children of God, it is our nature to choose the path that builds peace into every relationship. We don't just choose peace because it is one of several options, but instead, we choose peace because that is who we are, and it is the way that we live. This is the way that God intends for us to live. We ARE people of peace. We don't have to work at being a peacemaker, we just have to let who we are prevail. You will be called a child of God if you walk in peace...That's what I want...TO BE CALLED A CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH. That's what I've been thinking....
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