The Beatitudes: Peacemakers

The Beatitudes: Peacemakers

Bible Blast: Read Isaiah 26:3

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

It seems as though every family has one peacemaker. This is the person who steps into every argument and tries to get everyone calmed down and happy again. In my house, that person is my son Rob. Who’s the peacemaker in your home?

According to the Bible, a person who “works for peace” isn’t just someone who keeps two people from being mean to each other. It’s not someone who is against war. A peaceful person isn’t someone who’s just quiet and smiles knowingly all the time. A peacemaker is a person who has received peace from God and passes it on to others. True peace can only come through someone who experiences true God-given peace.

One big key to having godly peace is found in Romans 8:38-39: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Knowing that God’s love is mine forever, no matter what happens around me, allows me not to be shaken by bad circumstances. David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade, says this: “Simply put, peace is the absence of fear. And a life without fear is a life full of peace.”

Much of the world thinks that if people stop fighting each other, peace will rule, but that’s not true. It would be awesome if war stopped, but that doesn’t guarantee no more fear. People who don’t put their faith in God will always find something to be afraid of, and fear is the enemy of peace.

The peace you have in God was meant to be shared. You can bring peace into situations at school and in your family. You can be a peacemaker.

Girl Gab: Look at that passage from Romans 8 again. How does it make you feel to know that not even death can separate you from God’s love? Ask God for total peace in your life.