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

Hallmark #7 of a blessed life: Peacemaker

What would it be worth to you to know that the legacy you left your grandchildren really made a difference?

When Bob (fondly known as Poppy) died, his grandchildren had a lot to say about the powerful legacy their grandfather left to them. One of his grandchildren said it best: “Poppy taught us that living in Christ’s shalom (peace) was also about living out Christ’s shalom—to be the instrument of His peace among family and anyone else that God brought across his path. Poppy could diffuse a quarrel with ease because the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, reigned in his life.”

Peacemakers are important to our Lord because peace is God’s work and ultimate objective in all His creation.

Like the Trinity, we were designed for relationships—to live in community from early childhood to late adulthood. Discord and antagonism do not promote healthy community. There are more than enough trouble-makers in the world—people who love quarreling and stirring up dissension among others. Dissension, strife, quarreling are the devil’s work, not God’s.

The work of God is to bring peace between mankind and Himself, and peace between man and man. Peace that unites men is the work of God, and those who seek it are sons of God. In the Hebrew culture, the use of the phrase son of… is used in place of adjectives that we normally use. Hence, we might call someone a peaceable man, whereas the Hebrews would say he is a son of peace. Jesus says that peacemakers will be called sons of God because they are the one who do the work of the God of peace.

That’s why the apostle Paul commands that we make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). Peacemakers go to great lengths, in fact, it is in their DNA, to build and preserve the communion of the saints. They know it is something too precious to allow strife to destroy it. Peacemakers reflect the Father’s heart as they live out the purpose of God among brothers.

In both the Greek and the Hebrew, peace means much more than the absence of strife or conflict. In Hebrew the word is shalom. It means, not only peace as we tend to think of it, but that everything is as God intended—which will ultimately also make for man’s highest good.

Peacemakers understand shalom and believe the Body of Christ is sacred. Thus, they will go to great lengths to protect the unity of that sacred body through the bond of peace—seeking what God intends. They understand that to do otherwise will lead to hearts that grow increasingly cold and uncaring—something of which the world will take notice.

What are the tools of a peacemaker?

1) Value People (Gen. 1:26-27): Peacemakers see every person as an image-bearer of God. Even knowing how flawed we all are, they value and cherish the person above all, and desire to be a conduit of God’s blessing and peace.

2) Listen Well (James 1:19-20; Prov. 10:11,19): Peacemakers listen first and speak when. They aren’t out to prove a point and win the argument. While their goal is to unpack the truth, they also know how important it is to see the big picture. Only then can they speak words of wisdom that bring healing.

3) Uphold Truth (Eph. 4:14-16): Peacemakers don’t compromise truth. They remain steadfast in the truth, but they also know how to speak it in love because they know that love covers a multitude of wrongs (Prov. 10:12).

4) Do the Hard Things (I Cor. 5:6-8): Peacemakers don’t accommodate sin or excuse it. In the final analysis, they know that peace is not found in accommodation or compromise, but taking a firm stand on what is good for the whole, and will bring honor and glory to God.

5) Live It (Phil. 1:20-21; 4:9): Paul made one of the most daring declaration to the church in Philippi when he said, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Peacemakers live it. Their life puts God’s peace on display.

One more thing… it is important to grasp the difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper.

Not counting those who don a uniform to keep the peace as police officers or soldiers, the primary tool of a peacekeepers in ordinary life is compromise. Compromise is used to create an image of peace—a façade that falsely suggests that everything is okay, when in fact the inevitable trouble down the road is only being postponed. While the idea of compromise can sound good, in a peacekeeper’s lingo it usually means yielding to the lowest common denominator for the sake of immediate ‘peace’. Thus, the harder long-term benefit of finding what is right and good for all is by-passed. As a result, peace is rarely achieved in either the short-term or the long-term. This bogus peace is actually a ruinous process that hinders, rather than builds unity and peace. That is the work of the devil, not the work of God

Peacemakers, on the other hand, value relationships and truth above personal gain. They will do everything in their power to proactively work as ambassadors of Christ’s peace. They seek reconciliation through honest dialogue and giving honor to one another. They understand that the way to true peace is not through passive acceptance of popular opinion and lethal compromise, but is often achieved along the path of adversity and struggle. They are wise enough to see the final destination of each path, and choose the one that leads to the greater goal of shalom.

Have you ever wondered… what would your grandchildren say about you at your funeral?