October 27 I Tuesday

Jeremiah 12-14

2 Timothy 1

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” —Matthew 5:9

In Jesus’s teaching from the Sermon of the Mount, He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” (Matthew 5:9). There is a blessing for those who are peacemakers, but what does it mean to be a peacemaker? At the core of being a peacemaker, one has to be at peace, to the extent that a peacemaker is one who has experienced peace with God and knows the peace of God, and has become sharer of the peace formula. This is why every Christian is to be an evangelical Christian; in other words, 
we have experienced God and we long to bring others into this relationship.

The rest of Matthew 5:9 tells us, “…for they will be called children of God.” What does it mean to be “children of God?” There is a general sense in which all Christians are called “children of God” as Galatians 3:26 reveals, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” We were brought into sonship, a relationship to be a child of God. But how are those who are peacemakers in particular called “children of God?” 
A possible explanation is that those who are peacemakers are children of God in the sense that they share the ministry of God, being partakers in the work of God and, therefore, act as children of God.

The whole Trinity is involved in peace. They are described as being “peace,” with God the Father as “The God of Peace,” and Jesus being referred to as the “Prince of Peace.” The Spirit is the source of peace, because the Spirit’s ministry involves producing the fruit of the Spirit in people’s lives and the fruit includes “peace.” 
In fact, with regards to the Spirit, Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Therefore, to be a peacemaker means we have to hitch our lives to God’s agenda, strategy and purpose in the world. We are children of God in the sense that we express the ministry of God and we share in the purposes of God. Do we experience this in our own life?

We sometimes look with sympathy and pity at peoples’ lives that are so messed up. Why not get involved by saying, “Lord, how can I share with them the very thing which would put their lives back together in a way that is whole and synchronized?” We are all called to be peacemakers. May we be children of God and share with others the gospel message of peace.

Prayer: Dear God of Peace, thank You for the privilege of being a child of God. Grant me the strength, boldness and courage to share Your gospel message of peace with those around me. Amen!