PEACE-MAKERS NOT PEACE-FAKERS
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
I don't remember why Bob needed to leave his stand opening day of season, but he did. Now I was helping get back into the stand for the afternoon. I carried his backpack up into the elevated blind and waited for him to climb the ladder behind me. As he was coming up I looked across the valley in front of the blind and there was a really big buck standing on the hillside.
As Bob got into the stand I told him to load his gun and shoot the buck in front of us. He quickly loaded his gun while I continued to watch the buck. Bob lifted his gun to shoot and somehow he accidently pulled the trigger... BOOM! Bobs rifle went off right next to my head and missed killing me by an inch or so. It shook me badly.
Accidents happen when we least expect them. Even in military operations we see these things happen, when it happens in these military situations it's called, "friendly fire".
Friendly fire has also taken more people out of action in the Christian church than we care to admit. When one part of the family turns on another... all Christians should be on the same team yet at times they begin taking shots at another and soon we have some in the family that are wounded... some never recover from the "friendly fire" wounds.
The Bible tells us that the peacemakers are blessed... As Christians we are all called to be "peacemakers". There should never be instances of "friendly fire". We attempt to hide the "fire" by faking peace. All too often we fake peace instead of making peace. And by faking peace many will be hurt and their service to God diminished greatly.
In Romans 12:18 the bible tells us, " If it be possible, as much as is in you, live peaceably with all men."
We are to be peacemakers... But we've become a Christian family of "peace-fakers" to try to avoid conflict or hurting anyone's feelings. Avoiding conflict isn't peacemaking. Avoiding conflict means running away from the mess while peacemaking means running into the middle of it. Peacemaking means addressing those issues that caused conflict in the first place. When we fake peace, we will cause more wounds and those involved become more and more damaged and it is harder to come back from these wounds.
Peacemaking can never be separated from justice. They go hand in hand. Peace-faking means having to stir the waters on the way to peace. Peacemaking means speaking the truth in love, but speaking the truth nonetheless.
If you truly love those around you won't fake peace, you will meet conflict head-on. Become a peacemaker... His Word clearly says you will be blessed because of it.
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