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The Gift of Making Peace

Peacemaking is a tricky business. Diplomats crisscross the globe on a regular basis attempting to make and keep peace with other nations. Billions of people every day negotiate difficult personal and professional relationships in order to preserve or promote peace. Many of us don’t want to do the hard work of making peace, and often we don’t respond in a constructive way when others attempt to make peace with us.

The fact that making peace is the last Beatitude we are called to pursue tells us that it’s of great importance to God and that we shouldn’t be surprised when we experience great difficulty in pursuing it. Perhaps that’s why peacemakers are hard to find. It’s time for the ultimate stretch—the highest and hardest of them all—to become peacemakers in this world of conflict. 

Though peacemaking is difficult, it isn’t optional for people who belong to Christ. God calls us to peace (see 1 Cor. 7:15). Believers are to contribute to the peace of our church. God calls you as a member of the congregation where you worship and serve to play your part in maintaining peace:  Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Again, peacemaking is a calling for all who follow Christ. This is true of your role in your family, your workplace, your school, and your neighborhood. 

The Hebrew word shalom (peace) that’s used in the Bible is more than the absence of conflict. Its meaning includes the active enjoyment of all that’s good. Believers are to “strive for peace with everyone” (Heb. 12:14). Peacemakers don’t stop with plans. They plan the work of peacemaking, and they work the plan. The word strive indicates effort, hard work, and perseverance that are poured into the pursuit of our God-given calling to be peacemakers.

For more information on the Momentum Bible Study, please visit  LifeWay.com/MomentumStudy.