“BEING A PEACEMAKER”
By Kevin Call
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Think back to the old west and about a lawman named Wyatt Earp. What do you think his definition of a peacemaker would be? I’m sure it would be his two pearled handled six shooters. What about the different movies that always portray the use of force to wipe out violence.
Although these examples are a mix of real life and TV it’s pretty fair to say we live in a world of violence and negativity. Satan truly does have control of this world and he has a strong influence on most everyone in it. When you set down to watch the news, almost everything that is talked about is negative. Disasters, crime, and terrorism are everywhere. Satan influences people to have an attitude of get. This get way of life is contrary to God’s way.
So, let’s take the next few minutes to look at what God has to say about Peace and being a Peacemaker. Let’s start by looking at GAL. 5:22-23 This is talking about the fruits of the spirit...(But the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance: against such there is no law.) Since God tells us that peace is one of the fruits of the spirit then it must be very important to Him, and since it’s that important to Him, then we should take extra caution to make sure that peace is a big part of our lives. In these times it’s very hard to do, but God expects it of us because when it comes time to stand before Him, one of the areas of our judgment will be our loving and peaceful attitude towards our fellow man.
How many of us remember the TV show that aired some 15 years ago called Fantasy Island?
The program always had two or three guests that were flown into this small island where upon their landing on the water, were taxied up to the dock and introduced by Mr. Roark the host and owner of this tropical island. The guest could not just show up at the
island on their own free will, they had to be invited and proved themselves worthy or their stay could be a matter of life and death nevertheless at the end of their introduction Mr. Roark would always say, “Welcome to Fantasy Island”
This scenario is a lot like God’s instruction to us. We are introduced to God and his way of life. We can’t just show up, we have to be called first, then depending on the choices we make after that, Our stay or future could be a matter of life or death. Regardless of our choice after we are called or invited, God welcomes us.
God gives us many examples through the Bible on how we’re to live and conduct our lives. The process of being a peacemaker or peace starts with love, love for all. In John 13:34 God gives us a new commandment “ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” This would be impossible if we did not have peace with one another as well as ourselves. So love and peace work together and go hand in hand. God goes on to tell us the importance of peace. We are told that one of Christ’s names is “Prince of Peace” which is found in Isaiah 9:6. God’s way of life is a way of peace and we are to be like God.
We need to realize that peace does come with a price. God the Father paid the price of His only begotten Son so that He could have peace with us. Although the price that we pay is much less, the reward for being a peacemaker and bringing peace is much greater.
To be a peacemaker, first we need to understand the definition of a peacemaker:
Webster’s Ninth New collegiate Dictionary defines the following terms:
PEACEMAKER: One who makes peace especially by reconciling parties at variance. What this is saying is you can be a peacemaker by helping others to reconcile their
difference as well as reconciling your difference with others whether the conflict was started by you or the other person.
PEACE: a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony in personal relations; a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity.
There are many places throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament alike that talks about that of being a peacemaker. Just to name a few, they are:
Psalms 37:11 Tells us that Meekness is required to be at peace
Isaiah 32:17 Peace is a result of righteous work
I Corinthians 14:33 God is a god of Peace
Mark 9:50 God commands us to have peace with one another
This is only a few, there are many more scriptures and phrases that support the subject of peace in the bible.
We can summarize the importance of peace and being a peacemaker in these four general points.
1. Christ was and is a peacemaker and we are told to be like Him.
2. The Holy Spirit leads us to peace and to the attitude of a peacemaker,
3. God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of peace, we must do everything we can to make peace with others.
4. Being a peacemaker is part of our calling.
By being a peacemaker and striving for peace we can live a life full of joy and happiness. That is what God wants for us. We can let our light shine and be examples for the world to see. Being a peacemaker is not something to take lightly, it is something we have to work on every day and ask for God’s help in. By doing this we can be happy.
The last scripture to turn to is Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of god.”
So if you will, go back to the planes that approaching Fantasy Island, only this time you are on the plane and it is approaching God and His Kingdom, Just realize how great it will be when the plane lands on the water and pulls up to the dock, you step out and see a multitude of angels, and in the midst of them God is standing there along with Jesus Christ at His right and just as you start walking up the walkway God says to you,
WELCOME TO MY KINGDOM!!
