Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/…/r…/thoughts-in-worship-01-09-2018
This is devotional thought number 44 in our devotional series, God’s Promises are Sure!
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
There shall be wars and rumors of wars in the last days. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to research whether there is an increase of the war spirit on earth. Nations are angry and playing chicken to see who will move out of the way first. Who will hit “the button” first and show the others who’s boss? Unfortunately, the nations, as a civil paradigm, are not the only ones at war, or on the verge.
Perspective from the Prince of Peace
Everyday we awake we have a decision to make: will we be peacemakers or peace destroyers? At work, there’s office politics. At home, sometimes we get a little testy because one or more of the family members did not do things just right, according to our rulebook. At school, there are bullies, cheaters, horrible instructors, and rival schools. As we are out and about, we encounter roadrage, and all sorts of other stuff that challenges the peacemaker within us. If these are not bad enough, there are issues that arise in the church setting that make us wonder whose side we are on. Jesus said that peacemakers are blessed and highly favored. Why?
Let’s see what the Bible says: “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:16–21, NLT).
Practical peace
The simple fact that God went to all the trouble (although He did not consider it trouble) to enact a plan that would forever change heaven so we could be reconciled to Him, means we need to count it a privilege to seek peace in all of our relationships, and seek to facilitate peace between those who hate God, and God. The Bible is very practical. God understands that some people refuse to live peaceably. We cannot force peace. He does not force peace.
This is why the Bible says: “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17–21).
Transformational peacemaking
When we do all we can to effect peace within our own spheres of influence, we are demonstrating that Jesus, the Prince of Peace lives in our hearts. Those who seek peace have assumed the heavenly DNA through the rebirth experience. There will be times when peace will be impossible, because light and darkness cannot coexist, but where at all possible, let your light shine wherever you are, so people will have the opportunity to see Jesus and be transformed by His light. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
