What Peace?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

(Matt 5:9 – NASB)

Today I would like to focus on this idea of peace. What peace is Jesus referring to? Is it simply tranquility, or the cessation of hostility? Is it some sort of détente like we had with the former USSR when they could no longer afford to maintain a cold war?

Consider what the father of John the Baptist said upon the birth of this man of God.

“Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79 NKJV)

And again in the next chapter in regard to Jesus Himself: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

The peace we are talking about here is the peace that Jesus offers, the ending of hostilities between God and man. Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the mind set on the flesh is actively hostile toward God. This war ends not when God ignores our sin, but when we surrender our lives to him.

With the coming of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, we can finally put down the weapons of our warfare against God: our hate, our rebellion, our self-righteousness, and we can take up the cause of Christ. We can become peacemakers – those who work to bring this same peace to others.

Once you know the peace that Jesus offers, you will never be content to sit by and let those around you wage useless war against the Lord of Hosts.

If you don’t know this peace for yourself, you can find it today. Call upon the name of Jesus. These beatitudes we have been looking at paint a great picture of the way to enter a relationship with Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Talk to Jesus about it. (He can hear you wherever you are)

• Admit your own poverty of spirit, and that you need God.
• Confess and forsake all your sin. Tell Him about every sin you can remember doing, and ask Him for forgiveness.
• Meekly submit your will – your desires, your plans – to Him.
• Pursue righteousness and integrity in everything you do, again with His help.
• Offer mercy and forgiveness to those who owe you or have hurt you.
• Ask Jesus to purify your heart, and press into more and more purity, by meditating on His word. You are made clean through the God's Word, The Bible.
• Then you will become a peacemaker too, and you experince His peace, you will want to draw others to His side as well.

Thanks for reading. If you have talked to Jesus about these things, tell me about it. You can message me on face book, or comment here, or tell a Christian you know. Get plugged into a church, and begin to live in His word the Bible. We live by the daily bread of His voice.

Ben

Relationship - Fix it first - Pray later

This is an article I wrote a couple years ago, but it fits in with what I have been blogging on lately. 

I am thinking about how important relationship is to the Lord. We as "born again" Christians are quick to say that Christianity is a relationship not a religion. This could not be more right! God is all about relationship. Jesus sums up God's whole law with two relationship sayings "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" and "love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Luke 10:27)

I know some Christians who feel like as long as they are doing OK with God, their relationship to other Christians is not so important. They can be at outright war with other brothers and sisters in Christ, not speaking to one another for years, and still consider themselves to be in a good spiritual place with the Lord.

Jesus said some things that militate against this idea. Consider this:

Mark 11:25-26  "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you; Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

These two scriptures take away any excuses we may have. In Mark Jesus said if you have anything against anyone, forgive them, or you can consider your forgiven status forfeit. Ok I can live with this because it is about me. If I have a problem with someone I get it, I need to make it right.

But what about this gem from the Sermon on the Mount? Now it is my problem if someone has something against me. WOW, it sounds like God is really serious about us getting our relationships right. In both of these cases Jesus has us in the posture of approaching God, with prayers and sacrifices, and Jesus would rather we stop the service, and fix the relationships. He did not say, Jot down a note to call so and so when you get home, but he said leave your gift, go be reconciled, and then do your business with God.

John said it this way: 1John 4:20-21 "If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God love his brother also."

It is time to do this relationship thing right.

Thanks for reading!

Ben


Why this blog... 


Peace wall, Belfast - photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/a11sus/460787247/

Hungry?

God’s Upside-down Kingdom - Step 4

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” Matt 5:6

The next step in God’s 8 step program is to pursue righteousness with the same intensity as a hungry man pursues food, or as one who is parched goes after water. Hear this. It does not promise this blessed life to someone who tries to be good, who pulls themselves up by their boot straps, who just grits their teeth and does what is right.

Rather this one who is hungry to do the right thing. To the hungry, there is no priority higher than food. We all get hungry sometimes. I walked in the house the other day after a long day at the office, and I was starving. I had not had a bite to eat since – oh – it had to be like 2 hours!!!!! [Read More...]

Inheriting the Earth?

God’s Upside-down Kingdom - Step 3 

“…for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt 5:5

Some Christians are of the opinion that the earth really does not matter. That God is going to destroy it and start over somewhere down the line, and so who wants to inherit something that is going to be “rolled up as a scroll,” and tossed away? What kind of promise is this?

Bad Form! That whole attitude is bad from start to finish. [Read More...]

WHY

Why Blog? I love to see people walking in their gifts, and looking like Jesus. It is the kind of thing that comes little by little as we are transformed into the image of Christ. Each new step I see folks take is so exciting.

Last summer I was mulling. Some of my friends will think this is impossible. I am a high “I” (based on DISC personality profile) so people who know me know I am more of a blurt now and think later kind of guy. The fact is – I do mull! I digress – [Read More...]