Be A PeacemakerSample

Be a Peacemaker

You don’t have to think for long before identifying individuals who have stood tall as peacemakers throughout the pages of history. People like Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. People of great courage and tenacity. People who knew that the pain of change was not as bad as the pain of staying the same. People who waged peace and made a difference. These people have led the way and forged paths which we ought to follow.

And, while in the past the media gave the microphone to these select few, nowadays, social media has given a megaphone to the masses. This allows us as Christians to stand for what we believe in and to use our collective voice to make a collective difference. The question is, what are we saying and what will that difference be?

If you think about it, peace, like love, has collected various meanings over time. But we have an opportunity now to declare the true meaning of peace through our words and actions and introduce people to Jesus, the original Peacemaker.

Everything Jesus did pointed to peace. In fact, His reason in coming to earth was to bring peace.

In John 8:1-11 we see that when the religious leaders gathered to stone a woman who had broken the law, Jesus offered her peace, forgiveness and a new way to live.

This same peace is available and accessible today and we are called to extend it to the world. Because the truth is, we cannot truly encounter Jesus and not become a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker is part of being surrendered to God because only God brings true peace.

We are called to be peaceMAKERS, not peaceKEEPERS.

Peacekeepers keep peace from a place of fear through avoidance, while peacemakers restore peace from a place of strength through reconciliation.

As ambassadors of Jesus and agents of peace, it is time we step up and take personal responsibility to MAKE peace in our communities and cities. It won't be easy. It will require conviction, diligence, perseverance, and a willingness to step out of our comfort zones and model Jesus so others can step into their destiny with Him. But it will be worth it!

Matthew 5:9 says, “How blessed you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognised as a true child of God.” 

So, are you ready and willing to be a peacemaker?

Let’s spend these next few days unpacking what this might mean for you in everyday life, and learn how to practically put this into action in your community, your workplace, and your home.