01 - Daily Devotion

"Matthew’s Beatitudes hold the well-worn saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NIV). What Jesus calls good, and who Jesus calls blessed, is striking because his values seem to be upside down from our own. Many affirm this blessing with their lips, but in tumultuous times, we have tended toward the pragmatism of the fight.

It is not too bold to say there is a great deal of conflict to go around, and the question we should consider is how we Christians should respond to it. Unfortunately, it feels like we have been caught in the same mire as the rest of the world. Peacemaking, I've heard some Christians say, is not practical.

Take Jesus’ words seriously though. If a peacemaker is to be called a child of God, we should want to be one. To be one, however, will take some work. The beauty of this compound word is that it mashes up the word peace with the word for doing or practicing. It is active."

Theology Thursday: Blessed are the Peacemakers, (2021). Retrieved from https://www.gcu.edu/blog/theology-ministry/theology-thursday-blessed-are-peacemakers#:~:text=Matthew's%20Beatitudes%20hold%20the%20well,upside%20down%20from%20our%20own.