“‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God’” ( Matthew 5:9 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God. ).

One of the most obvious facts of world history is that peace does not characterize man’s earthly existence. Yet two thousand years ago Jesus instructed God’s people to be peacemakers. He gave us a special mission to help restore the peace lost at the Fall.

The peace of which Christ speaks is unlike anything the world knows or strives for. His peace is not concerned with resolving conflict between governments and nations, with righting the wrongs of human oppression. His peace is the inner, personal peace that only He can give to the soul of man, a peace that only His children can emulate.

What makes Jesus’ kind of peace different? Instead of focusing on the absence of conflict and strife, Jesus’ peace produces righteousness, for only righteousness can bring two antagonistic parties together. It is what brings the unsaved person to God. It is God who reconciles a person to Himself, imputes Christ’s righteousness to him, and makes peace with him or her.

Only righteousness can usher in harmony and true well-being. James confirms the nature of God’s peace when he writes, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable” ( James 3:17 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. ). Peace cannot be divorced from holiness. “Righteousness and peace have kissed each other” is the beautiful expression of Psalms 85:10 10 Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. . Where there is true peace, there is righteousness, holiness, and purity. May those things characterize you as you strive to be a peacemaker.

Ask Yourself

What situations in your own life are in desperate need of peace and restoration? How do you think God wants to use you as a peacemaker in the midst of it? You’ve surely tried. You’ve wanted to see righteousness and justice returned. Pray that the Lord would show you how to exhibit His brand of peace in fresh, new ways.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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