March Like Jesus
… In Our Attitudes – Part IV

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12

Key Verse: Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”.

I am not going to cover all the Beatitudes in this devotional, but the three that I have covered so far along with today’s speak best to the attitudes that Christ-followers must develop.

Today’s attitude is about developing an attitude to be a peacemaker. A peacemaker attitude believes that it is more important to create peace than winning an argument or holding a grudge.

A true peacemaker is quick to choose peace rather than continue an argument. A true peacemaker forgives those who offend them rather than standing up for their rights.

This is not to say a peacemaker cannot share their opinions or disagree; they can and should. Peacemakers learn to state their opinions without demanding that anyone accept them.

A peacemaker never sacrifices truth to keep the peace. However, a Christ-following peacemaker makes sure that God’s Word is the basis that their truth is founded upon rather than their personal convictions.

I am sure you have heard the old saying “it takes two to tango”. It takes two people to have an argument. We cannot control what our spouse may say or do, nor can we control any other person in our lives. Peacemakers simply make it their goal to bring a peaceful conclusion to any disagreement. This may sound simple, but it certainly is not an easy attitude to maintain.

The biggest barrier to being a peacemaker is ourselves… our human nature loves to have our own way. We have a terrible time surrendering what we believe is right in disagreements. Our behavior in most arguments screams: “I value winning more than peace”!

If we decide that we want to be a peacemaker, we continually fight our human nature. For most of us, it takes a daily morning prayer of surrender asking the Holy Spirit to help us remember that winning an argument is far less valuable in God’s sight than being a peacemaker.

Jesus gave us this “marching order” with a strong concluding statement: a peacemaker will be called a child of God.

As with all single statements in the Bible, it is important to look at the context of the conclusion.

We do NOT become a child of God by being a peacemaker, but by believing in Jesus and asking Him to forgive us of our sins. What Jesus is saying in this statement is that a Christ-follower will be “called” or known as a child of God because they always choose peace over their desire to win!

Let’s put it this way: a peacemaker develops a reputation as a child of God. It is certainly true, without Christ in us, we can never win the battle over our human nature!

Father, I want to be a peacemaker. I need Your strength and reminders when I am tempted to follow my human nature. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.