Peace and Peacemakers

Written by Gail Rodgers

Jesus came to bring peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

We all need two kinds of peace in our lives. We need inner peace with God but we also need peace with others. God addresses both. He tells us what to do to find that peace.

Inner peace is a gift of the Holy Spirit and our thankfulness and faith impacts it. It’s a choice to focus our mind on Jesus and all He is. Peace is the natural result of that choice.

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is focused on You because He trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Inner peace hinges on my trust in God. Inner peace is there for the choosing.

The second kind of peace, peace with others, starts with the understanding that God has called us to be peacemakers in our world.

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

Notice that the call is to be “peacemakers” and not simply “peacekeepers”?

Sometimes “peacekeepers” will do anything just to keep peace. That is not what God is asking of us. He is calling us to be “peacemakers”.

Is there somewhere in your own world where you can help make peace?
Is there an invitation that needs to be extended to smooth over a fractured family relationship?
Is there an apology to be made or a silence to be broken that has stood as a barrier for too long?
Is there an issue that needs to be addressed with loving-kindness?
Is there a boundary that needs to be extended to help make a relationship healthy?

Don’t miss the blessing God promises in your life as you respond to His call to be a peacemaker in your own circle.

We can help bring peace to our world one heart at a time.

Prayer of action:

Lord,

“Make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
and Where there is sadness, joy…
Divine Master;
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen”

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Question: Take a look at the questions above. How is God calling you to be a peacemaker?

Tags: Bible, Devotional, faith, gail rodgers, God, Holy Spirit, Isaiah 26:3, peace, peace maker, thankfulness, Women

3 Responses to “Peace and Peacemakers”

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Hedy says:

May 22, 2012 at 12:16 pm

I`m at the beginning of this. Learning to be at peacemaker not a peacekeeper…it isn`t always easy,but it`s the best way! and with Him I can do it!
Joel Pukalo says:

May 22, 2012 at 11:22 am

My prayers are with you Clay. I pray God would give you the peace that supersedes all earthly circumstances or situations. This peace can come from God alone. I think we can only have God’s peace when we are fully embracing His plan for our lives. Times in my life when I feel anxious or discontent, are like warning lights on the “dashboard of my life” (much like a car dashboard has warning lights) indicating something is not quite right.

As we seek to walk in God’s daily purpose for our lives, His Spirit leads us and empowers us with supernatural peace to walk through any situation. I pray we would daily pursue our Father’s purposes for our lives. As we daily live this way we will discover the supernatural peace of God. With His peace we will be able to go through the storms of life and remain completely at rest in the boat as Jesus was.
Clay says:

May 22, 2012 at 8:45 am

I had lost my inner peace over the last two years…and have been on a back sliding roller coaster for awhile,.. it has not been fun. It has sprung forth old behaviors and poisioning my heart… I lost my focus… these last few months I have been on a journey to get that peace back… ofcourse putting GOD first in my life was the number one major adjustment, and since I’ve been focusing on HIS word daily I can already start to feel the change, although I still have struggles… what is funny to me though , is how easy the answer to find that peace really is, but yet I have made it so complex and gone so astray at times…May GOD bring me peace, and I be a peacemaker today.. AMEN