November 10, 2006

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

James 3:13-18

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

— 

Francis of Assisi, a monk from the 13th century, is credited with these words:

Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;

where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;

and where there's doubt, true faith in you.

If you want to be a peacemaker, you need to know the peace that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings. A few days before he was crucified, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).

In this turmoil-filled world we live in, there is never true peace in a person's heart until Jesus comes to reign in that person's life. With the coming of Jesus, real peace became a possibility in our world. Christ is the ultimate peacemaker.

Our world desperately needs peacemakers who know the peace that only Christ can bring. Peace in homes where there is constant fighting and bickering. Peace in churches that are sometimes torn apart by conflict. Peace in cities where gunshots ring out. Peace in our troubled hearts. When you are a peacemaker, Jesus says you are "a son of God"--a child of God who can enjoy the Lord's everlasting inheritance.

My heart longs for peace, O Lord, in you. May I live as a child of God and bring peace in a world overrun with unrest. In the name of the Prince of Peace, I pray. Amen.

About the author — Jerry Hoytema

Pastor Jerry Hoytema is a retired minister living in Ontario. In his retirement he has served several churches as an interim pastor. He and his wife, Winnie, have four children and 13 grandchildren.

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