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"Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God."
(Matthew 5:9)
Jesus says the peacemakers are blessed, makarios. Those who go about promoting peace and unity will have great joy and contentment. They will indeed be happy and prosperous, for they are ambassadors of peace.
Note what Jesus said next: "they shall be called sons of God." The word "called" is kaleo, which means to call in a loud voice or to bear a name or title (BlueletterBible.org). When you are a peacemaker amid turmoil, others will take notice and call you out, bringing attention to the fact that you have done something very praiseworthy.
The Greek word translated "sons" is huios, not tekna. Tekna means children and speaks of affection, but huios refers to dignity, the dignity of being a son or daughter with honor. To whom does this honorable and dignified standing belong? (Source: MacArthur, The Beatitudes, p. 180) It belongs to those who are peacemakers, those who have moved out of the classroom of theory and gotten engaged in the tough arena of promoting and bringing about the rich commodity of peace. Legitimate sons of God always resemble their heavenly Father and take on His attributes and characteristics. Children of God will be people at peace who make peace, because that is such a dominant trait of God our Heavenly Father.
How Does One Become a Peacemaker? First you must know the God of peace. Scripture tells us how to do this. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."
I invite you to believe in Jesus Christ, receive Him as your personal Savior and Lord, and repent, turn from your sins. God will save you and bring you into a relationship with Him. John Piper states it so well: "God has sacrificed his own Son and now declares amnesty free and clear to any who will lay down their arms of independence and come home to faith."
The biography on Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is a good read. Jobs was the founder of Apple Computers. He was a brilliant, eccentric genius, no doubt. At one point, he became so engrossed in his work that he did not take a bath, and this caused trouble among his work associates because he smelled so bad. Jobs was very gifted, creative, and wealthy, but not a peacemaker, because he did not know Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. In fact, he could be very cruel and mistreat those who worked for him. In a USA Today article from October 25, 2011, it says, "Jobs fell out with Christianity early in life and became a Buddhist. Jobs said, 'I think different religions are different doors to the same house. Sometimes, I think the house exists, and sometimes, I don't. It's the great mystery.'" (See also Walter Isaacson's biography, Steve Jobs, p. 15.)
Come to Jesus before it is too late! If you know Christ as Savior and Lord, how do you maintain your role as peacemaker? You do this by staying in fellowship with God daily through prayer and Bible study and being in community with the people of God, His church.
Let me close this week's devotions by encouraging you to be a person of peace, one who fosters and promotes peace with God, with your spouse, children, grandchildren, extended family, neighborhood, profession, and in your church. Do as James 1:19 says, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." When you come upon a crisis, complaint, or some other difficult situation, handle with care and prayer and no complaining; be a peacemaker and become a part of the solution and not the problem.
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