3 Verses on the Importance and Blessing of Peace

There are peacemakers and there are peace breakers. God calls us to be peacemakers in a world of conflict. Let me give you some Scriptures to remind you of the importance and blessing of peace.

A. Called to Peace

God has called you to peace. (1 Corinthians 7:15)

If
you belong to Jesus Christ this is your calling. God calls you to contribute to
the peace of your family: Picture your father, mother, brother, sister, son or
daughter. They are your family.

They
may love each other dearly, they may be at each other’s throats. They may not
be speaking to each other—whatever it’s like, God calls you to contribute, to
the best of your ability, to the peace of your family. Whether it’s
dysfunctional or happy, you are called by God to be an influencer towards
making it better.

It’s
the same in the church: As a member of the congregation, God calls you to
contribute to its peace. That’s not an option; it is a calling from God Himself.
The same is true at work, in the community, in a restaurant. Wherever you are,
whatever you do, God has called you to peace.

B. Plan for Peace

Those who plan peace have joy. (Proverbs 12:20)

Since
this is the calling of God, we should be intentional about pursuing it: Plan
peace! Where we don’t have it, as a Christian we should be asking: What’s the
best way to get it? Where we do have it, we should be asking: How can we
protect it? How do we make sure we don’t lose this peace?

What
is peace? In the Bible, the word “shalom” (or peace) is more than the absence
of conflict. It is the active enjoyment of all that is good. As I think about
what I say and what I do, I should be asking this question: What would promote
peace?

What
would promote the greatest wholeness and health in my family, church,
colleagues, neighbors and friends? I should plan for that, plot it, hatch
schemes for it. Plan peace! Those who plan peace have great joy!

C. Work for peace

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Peacemakers
don’t stop with plans—they plan the work and they work the plan. The word “strive”
indicates effort, hard work, and perseverance. There’s a reason why it’s the
seventh beatitude, it’s the summit.

What It Means to Be a Peacemaker

Peacemakers
are people who bring peace to others, because they have it themselves. But, how
do you get peace?

Peace
in your heart flows from purity in your life. Notice the order: “Blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “Blessed are the
peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God” (5:9). There’s a direct
connection:

The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. (James 3:17)

First pure,
then peaceable—there is an order there. Peace of heart flows from purity of
life. Why? Purity of heart is to “will one thing.”

The
person who wills one thing is a person who can be at peace. The impure person
has a heart that is fundamentally divided. He or she wants two contradictory
things at the same time. As long as that unresolved conflict rages there is no
peace.

That’s
why the Bible says, “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21). The
wicked cannot have peace because they do not have purity.

Peace flows from purity, so the more you pursue purity the more you will discover and enjoy peace in your heart.

This is an excerpt from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” from his series Momentum, Volume 2.



Photo Credit: Unsplash