Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!”  Matthew 5:9 AMPC)

To be a peacemaker is impossible in and of our own abilities.  Our human default is programmed to react directly proportional to the negative things done towards us with a few exception for there are those who are born graceful.  But thank God for His mercy and grace that He sent us His only beloved Son, Jesus, Who came to make us NEW CREATIONS in Him.

“Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMPC)

How awesome it is to think that we have not been “recycled”, “improved”, “upgraded” or “repaired”.  Instead, because of how great our Father’s love is for us, He made us NEW CREATIONS in Christ, with new untainted identity, having new hope, taking us to new levels and new ways in walking in love.

I went to the bank one day and parked my car right in front of it.  I did what I needed to do and when I was done, I went back to my car.  The small road was quite congested and as I was on reverse to get back into the road, no one wanted to give way.  I was sitting there for a number of minutes waiting for someone who was kind-hearted enough to pave the way but found no one.  So I tried to very slowly backed and all of a sudden I heard a motorcyclist yelled, “wait for your turn!”.  Oh wow … I almost blew it!  I wanted to tell him how long I waited and that no one seemed to care … but then I said to myself, “let it be … let those words be like water off a duck’s back.”

As I was driving home, those words kept resonating in me.  I felt violated by his rudeness.  I asked the Lord, how do I deal with this?  Though I spoke a blessing upon the man, my heart seemed to be trapped in offense.  I couldn’t seem to overlook what he did.

A couple of days later, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see and understand that not all people think like I do.  Different folks have different strokes. I am not the standard. I thought if I was on that road, I would have given way.  And for the motorcyclist, I was pretty sure he didn’t know how long I waited.  He thought I was just aggressively trying to get in his way.  Then, I prayed that the Lord would fill and flood me with His love and that my heart will beat in rhythm like His.  Shortly after, compassion filled my heart.  This time when I prayed, I came from a standpoint of love and compassion. I spoke peace to his heart and for the Holy Spirit to pour His love upon him so that when something similar would happen again, he won’t just yell thoughtlessly, acting like he’s the king of the road where he may encounter someone who could be bolder than him and put him in trouble.  Only then, the chain of offense was broken and I was free.

We are not here on earth to straighten everybody out whom we think are wrong.  If we think this way, we just diminish everyone who comes our way.  We are called to develop the roots of character patterned after Christ, graced and empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  Peace indeed is not the absence of challenges, troubles and tribulations.  Peace is the presence of Someone Who is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  It is our intimacy with Him that empowers us to be more like Him.  He is Peace and when the peace of God dwells in us richly, we walk in peace.   It is the PEACE OF GOD that surpasses all understanding that GUARDS our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Come to think of it, it all boils down to the gospel of peace.  Our total reconciliation with our Heavenly Father by the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus Christ at the cross made us come alive in Him.  Our total restoration in the loving arms of our Daddy God births our new identity of being loved, accepted and approved.  Our being ONE in Him is the vital key.  Intimacy births fruitfulness.  Our intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit produces the FRUIT of PEACE which is seen and manifested in our relationship with men.

To be a peacemaker is to be one with the Prince of Peace.

“Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 AMPC)