Peacemakers

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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called 

children of God. Matthew 3:9

 Blessed (loved and favored) by God are the peacemakers (ones who have received the peace of God in their hearts and who bring peace to others), for they will be called children (righteous worshippers) of God.

The heart of this verse is in the flow-through. Jesus is the peacemaker in our souls. Paul says that we were once God's enemies but, because of Jesus, now we are His children. 

What a remarkable transition, from a state of war to a relationship of true peace. 

Peace is God's most precious gift. It wells up in us and blesses us in times of joy and in times of despair. It is rich, deep, and everlasting; it is beyond our understanding. 

• Peace when we are in chaos. 
• Peace when we are surrounded by the love of friends and family.
• Peace through sorrow or fear. 

It is a blessing that often draws others to God when they see peace in us during a difficult situation. 

Peacemakers. 
We are blessed with God's peace and we are blessed even more when His peace flows through us into the lives of those around us. Jesus describes the Spirit as a spring of overflowing water that flows up in us and through us.

And what blessings He gives us! We experience the joy of seeing people hug each other when there was only strife before, the relief when a misunderstanding is corrected, or the laughter as families who were once in conflict are now bound together in love.

We all yearn to be peacemakers but it's hard enough for me to keep peace with myself. I don't feel at all capable to be a peacemaker to others. And I can't, not unless I have God's strength to enable me. How does He transform me into a peacemaker?

Children of God
We are God's children! It's hard to imagine. But in this context, the word children doesn't describe us as the cherished children of our Father, although that is true. It describes those who have the freedom to worship God in righteousness. 

As God's children, we are righteous. Because of the blood of Christ, Our filthy garbs of sin are removed when we give our lives to Jesus, and we are clothed in His righteousness. What a supernatural miracle! He has transformed me from a repugnant sinner into His beloved child! Close your eyes and revel in the wonder of God's love.   

Righteous worship grows out of our love for God. It fills us with a sense of His presence. When we come before Him with an open heart, He works through His Word and the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of His Son.


The closer we are to Him, the louder we praise Him, the more we learn of Him, the more He transforms us and enables us to live out His character to those around us. 

Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way. The Holy Spirit teaches us to share the amazing news of Jesus as our Savior. Jesus is Light and, when we worship God, we become His light to the dark world. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He enables us to become peacemakers. Through our worship, we begin to reflect the glory of God. 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you and you will become a peacemaker!

Are you at peace with God? Has that peace overflowed to those around you?

The Pure In Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

Blessed (loved and favored by God) are the pure in heart (those whose life and soul have been made pure by Jesus and is centered on Him), for they shall see God (be admitted into His presence and enjoy His fellowship).

Pure in heart. I must admit, I've never felt pure in heart. My mind's full of unpleasing thoughts and a desire to sin. Praise God, we are not purified by our thoughts or works but by Jesus blood on the cross. He did for us what we are unable to do.

Clothed by Jesus righteousness. Luke 1:74-75 says God rescues us from the hands of our enemies and clothes us (Galatians 3:27) in Christ's holiness and righteousness. He doesn't see our filthiness, He sees our purity. Of course, we should come before Him in repentance because sin clouds our fellowship with Him; His fellowship with us never falters.

They shall see God. Rejoice, Rejoice! You are pure before God and you are allowed to come into His presence! When we pray, do we realize that we are fellowshipping with God? He draws near to us and fellowships with us. Isn't that a miracle?!?

Clothed by Jesus, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We have such sweet fellowship with God, not only because we are clothed by Jesus, but also because Spirit lives in us to teach, guide, and protect us. We are shielded inside and out!

We are blessed by God because our hearts have been purified by Jesus,  we are made holy by Jesus' righteousness, and we are continually transformed by the Spirit.

What greater love is there?

How have you seen God transform you?

If this post blessed you, please share!

Poor In Spirit

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 

I'm reading Matthew in my Bible-study time. When I came to Chapter 5, I read the beatitudes without really thinking about them. Blessed are...Blessed are...Blessed are...

Then I stopped. God prompted me to look deeper. Has He ever done that to you? You're reading along and, all of a sudden, you feel this voice whisper, "Back up, you missed something." It happens to me a lot.

So I reread verse 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Poor in spirit. I thought about people who feel despair, deep sorrow, or depression, People who live on the street with very little food or clothes. But I'm not sure that's who Jesus is talking about.  Why would a desperate person be called blessed?

Could it be Jesus is talking about their spiritual condition?

With the help of a couple of my reference books, Matthew 5:3 reads like this:

Blessed (loved and favored by God) are the poor (destitute) in spirit (Holy Spirit) for theirs is the kingdom (righteousness conferred by Christ on believers) of heaven (a consummately perfect region where God dwells).

Hmm. That is a bit more complicated, isn't it? Can we write it more clearly?

Those who identify with Jesus' statement realize they're spiritually poor and seek Him. He shows them favor by covering them in Christ's righteousness and promising them eternal life.

WOW! Now, that's blessed!

What about today? The verbs are present tense; Jesus' words are alive today. The rich promises are there for all of us who believe.

We are poor in spirit. We never quite "make it." There's so much to learn about God. There's so much He can teach us through His Word.  When we're aware of our poverty and open to Him, He fills us more and more.

His favor overflows! 

When we stumble, we don't have to fear. He never says, "You've gone too far! No more forgiveness for you!" We are covered in Christ's righteousness. When He looks at us, He sees us through eyes of love and righteousness. He loves us even as He loves Jesus! We are clothed eternally. We can't ruin this perfect covering, no matter how often we fall!

His love never changes!

We can rejoice because our earthly home is temporary. Our suffering and sorrows are temporary. Clouds might cover our present lives, but the Son reigns eternally. The glory of Heaven beckons us.

Our forever home is secure!

Your turn:
How have God's promises of favor, love, and security enriched your life?