SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/22/2020
9:49 AM
MY Worship Time Focus:
“Happy are the Peacemakers”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 5:9
Message of the
verse: “9 “Happy
are those who make peace, for they will be known as sons of God!” (Philips)
I
want to begin with several verses from the NT that talk about peace: “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen”
(Rom. 15:33). “Finally, brethren,
rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the
God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11). “The things you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with
you” (Phil. 4:9). All of these verses
come near the end of each of Paul’s letters, so it tells me that this was
something important that Paul wanted all of his readers to truly understand,
and it is something that God truly wants us to think about and to meditate
on. There are some four hundred direct
references to peace, and many more indirect ones as stated by John MacArthur. He goes on to write that “The Bible opens
with peace in the Garden of Eden and closes with peace in eternity. The spiritual history of mankind can be charted based on the theme of
peace.” Think about this
highlighted sentence for a while. He
goes on to write “Although the peace on earth in the garden was interrupted
when man sinned, at the cross Jesus Christ made peace a reality again, and He
become the peace of all who place their faith in Him. Peace can now reign in the hearts of those who
are His. Someday He will come as Price
of Peace and establish a worldwide kingdom of peace, which will eventuate in
ultimate peace, the eternal age of peace.”
I want to now quote two sets of verses that have always been something
that I have remembered and both have to do with peace. “19 For it was the Father’s good
pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to
Himself, having made peace
through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things
on earth or things in heaven” (Col. 1:19-20).
“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God,
which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). The first
highlighted verse from Colossians is the only verse where you will find peace
and blood in the save verse, as peace with God comes only through the blood of
Jesus Christ. The next highlighted
section tells us that as believers we can have the “peace of God.” First we have to have peace with God, and then we can
have the peace of God. Having the peace of God is truly important
especially living in the times that we now live in today in our world. The enemy of God wants to cause fear, and
people will do things that they would never do when they are fearful, but God
has promised us peace, the peace of God to overcome our fears as we trust God
who is in complete control.
As
one looks back over the history of our world they will not find much peace in
our human existence as peace does not characterize man’s earth existence. Why do you think that is true? MacArthur states that there are two reasons
why there is no peace. 1. “the
opposition of Satan and 2. the disobedience of man. The fall of the angels and the fall of man
established a world without peace. Satan
and man are engaged with the God of peace in a battle for sovereignty.”
I
don’t have to site the history of continued wars that have gone on since Jesus
Christ walked the earth, however in 1968 a major newspaper reported that there
had been to date 14, 533 know wars since 36 years before Christ. Not sure how they came to that number, but
one thing for sure if they were off it would probably mean that they missed
some. In our own country it has been
said that there have only been two generations of peace, with the first one between
1815 to 1846 and the other from 1865 to 1898, but this does not include the Indian
wars that were fought during these times as there were many of them.
As we look at this seventh beatitude we see
that it calls God’s people to be peacemakers, as He has called us to a special
mission to help restore the peace lost at the Fall. So what kind of peace are we to tell others
about as seen in this beatitude?
“The
peace of which Christ speaks in this beatitude, and about which the rest of
Scripture speaks, is unlike that which the world knows and strives for. God’s peace has nothing to do with politics,
armies and navies, forums of nations, or even councils of churches. It has nothing to do with statesmanship, no
matter how great, or with arbitration, compromise, negotiated truces, or
treaties. God’s peace, the peace of which
the Bible speaks, never evades issues; it knows nothing of peace at any
price. It does not gloss or hide,
rationalize or excuse. It confronts
problems and seeks to solve them, and after the problems are solved it builds a
bridge between those who were separated by the problems. It often brings its own struggle, pain,
hardship and anguish, because such are often the price of healing. It is not a peace that will be brought by
kings, presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, or international
humanitarians. It is the inner personal
peace that only He can give to the soul of man and that only His children can
exemplify.
“Four
important realities about God’s peace are revealed: its meaning, its Maker, its messengers, and
its merit.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have to say that I look forward to studying
this beatitude as peace is something that I surely desire to better understand
in my life. I know that I have peace
with God through the blood of the cross, and this peace came through a violent act
as Christ died on the cross to give me this peace through salvation. I certainly desire to have the peace of God
reign in my life each and every day.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue
to learn contentment, humility, and to continue to seek joy as I study God’s
Word each day, and also to experience the peace of God in my life each day.
5/22/2020 10:53 AM
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