“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”- Matt. 5:9
This seems to be too much an overlooked beatitude. There are many people who are really strifemakers rather than peacemakers. They do not seek to heal estrangements between others, to prevent quarrels and contentions, and to bring together those who have begun to drift apart. Indeed, their whole influence goes toward widening breaches, intensifying bitterness, and exciting anger and hatred. When they find in any one a germ of suspicion or dislike of another, they stimulate the evil growth. Is it not time that we should get our Lord’s beatitude down out of the skies and begin to work it into our lives? Is it not time that we should become peacemakers in a world whose beauty is marred by so much strife?
The peacemaking spirit is divine. No one in heaven finds delight in separating friends. Just so far as we get the peacemaking spirit into our lives do we bear the mark of God’s image. To be peacemakers we must first of all strive to live peaceably with all men. “If it be possible , as much as in you lieth,” says St. Paul, “be at peace with all men.”
But, further, we are also to strive to make and promote peace between others. Our ministry is not to be confined to the settlement of great quarrels, but may find even its most fruitful work in the healing of the petty contentions which we discover all about us. Whenever we find one man angry with another, we should seek to remove the angry feeling, The little rifts in others’ friendships we should strive to heal. The unkind thoughts of others which we find in people’s minds we should seek to change into kindly thoughts. We can do no more Christ like service than to seek always to promote peace between man and man, to keep people from drifting apart, and to get them to live together more lovingly.- J. R. Miller
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
