By: Joanne Viola
It seems like animosity is all around us, on every plane of life. Politically, racially, educationally, and spiritually, disagreements can be found easily and in number.
It’s much like the virus – arguments can be caught with just one breath.
“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
(Matthew 5:9, NLT)
Yet here we find in Jesus’ own words that we are called to be peacemakers, agents of peace. We are to be people who call others to wholeness and harmony with one another rather than discord.
Looking at the social times in which Jesus lived, we find there was as much tension then as there is now. His followers were hoping He would bring a new rule of power and were disappointed in discovering this was not His purpose.The times were violent even then.
One title given to Jesus is “Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6). Jesus imparts His peace to our lives, changing us into His likeness so that we can become people of peace – peacemakers.
In his book, The Good Life, Dr. Derwin L. Gray writes:
“Biblically and scientifically, there is only one race: the human race. The human race is made of different ethnicities …
We need peacemakers who build bridges so the body of Christ can be an ethnically unified family, bearing witness to the world of our love for one another.”
(from pages 179-180)
Our peace inside of ourselves and extended to others is not shaped by our outward circumstances but by our ability to allow Jesus to fill up our hearts and minds with Himself, the Prince of Peace. It is as He changes us that we become more peacable, able to respond peaceably rather than react with arguments.
In this time of tensions and divisions, we can be different – we can be peacemakers.
We can and must acknowledge the family of God is one family, united with many ethnic groups of people:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.“
(Revelation 5:9-10, NLT)
As a family we seek to live harmoniously within our homes. And it is to be no different in the family of God. Dr. Gray offers this sound suggestion for these days we are living:
“Because we love our siblings, we cultivate a posture of listening and learning, seeking to understand before being understood.” (from The Good Life, page 182)
We do this not so others will be changed, but so that we become different.
We become more like Christ.
We become peacemakers and are blessed.
You end with this - "We do this not so others will be changed, but so that we become different.
ReplyDeleteWe become more like Christ" - God does the changing - we are just his hands a feet for that change. While I was reading, I thought how I used to think of being a peace-maker as placating - as a parent, I've learned that placating leads to the opposite of peace. Sometimes peace-makers have to stand strong and not give way. A peace-maker is sometimes a tough job! But we so need it right now! Thank you, Joanne for encouraging this! ~ Maryleigh
So many Christians seem to have a slash and burn style of presenting truth, instead of using truth to draw others to Christ. How we need to experience and demonstrate and extend to others His peace.
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