Blessed are the Peacemakers

When we come together as believers’ peace and unity should be uppermost in our hearts and minds. As our hearts are knit together readying our hearts to focus on the one who has made the blessing possible through the peace-making of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Instead of meditating we have criticized in others, perhaps meeting them in humility with a spirit of forgiveness. Unforgiveness is rampant in our world today and believers should be different from unbelievers. Romans 13 defines attitudes of our hearts which prepare us to worship together: Owe no one anything except to love one another because love fulfills the law. We don’t want to commit adultery among our family and friends whom we truly love. Murder, theft, coveting doesn’t even cross our minds because we think of them like ourselves. Love does no wrong among those it loves and thus fulfills the law.

Besides that, the return of Christ is nearer now than it was when he departed in about 33 AD (Romans 13:11,12). The finality of our salvation is on the horizon. Let us not even consider works of darkness but put on our armor, the armor of light described in Ephesians 6:10 - 18. Instead, let us live honorably like people do who are not ashamed for others to know their deeds: no partying without thought to who we are as believers, drunkenness, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures or uncontrolled and socially unacceptable sexuality, no quarreling or jealousy. Let us put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ making no opportunity for the flesh to gratify its desires.

When we disagree with other believers, we should be quick to talk about what happened and how we can glorify God as we quickly come together to solve the issue. There can be those who are less willing to solve issues because of hard heartedness not realizing how much they lower the honor of the Lord by refusal to hear each other out and resolve our problems in a godly manner. If a problem cannot be resolved quickly between brothers and sisters in Christ find someone who understands human interactions from a godly point of view and come together quickly without telling too many people about what has happened so we can quickly get over the issue, forgive one another and find healing. On some occasions we must include a larger group to discern how best to bring resolution not because they are so holy but because of the gifts to which they have been entrusted.

One way we overcome the enemy’s whispers is to bind our own mouths from gossip and backbiting. We don’t have to prove our rightness or their wrongness. We must be willing to work through the issues in a humble manner because when we see what has happened to others, we realize how quickly we could be entangled in the same thing. 

It is better for us to meet together as believers and pray with each other because of our Savior’s promise that He is present with us when we a gathered in a small group of two or three. (Matthew 18:20) A small group allows the Holy Spirit the words of life to do surgery on our hearts. Jesus spoke His Fathers words, words of eternal life, healing words. When we think too highly of ourselves, we may not recognize others’ struggles and we might also get tempted and struggle. One person’s failures are obvious in this life but other people’s failures follow them and are revealed later. (1 Timothy 5:24)