Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9
We have already seen that as Jesus went forth proclaiming the Kingdom, that healing, and restoration of wholeness went in His wake, for the restoration of wholeness, including the restoration of relationships torn by the hostility of this world is something within the very character of God. A peacemaker is someone who places a high priority on restoring relationships, even with those considered to be enemies; this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
On the other hand, many, maybe even most people of this world are not peacemakers. Look around you, this world is not a peaceful place, for people vie with each other for riches, for position and advantage. Such people are not making peace and restoring relationships, except for personal gain; this is not the behavior of a disciple, and thus the blessing of a restored relationship with God is not present in the here and now, and it is not likely to be found in the hereafter.
For the disciple, blessing in great supply is to be found in restoring wholeness and relationships; it is its own reward, and as a disciple the eternal future is both assured and very bright, for there will be blessing beyond imagination in store.
Life Project Blog 
My mother was a peacemaker, I never realized, until she passed, just how hard she worked to keep our fractured extended family together. I just do not have the social skills she did, and no one else seems to have the desire. Yes, blessed are the peacemakers in our relationships.
That really rings true MT!
I have really liked this series Don. Didn’t like this one. It was very convicting and useful, but I didn’t like it. Just sayin. Thanks for it, though.
Sorry about that 🙂
Eh..don’t be. Isn’t that the preacher’s job?
🙂
Law and/or love. Reading the “repetition” of these lovely short pieces (never seen them done this way before) another pairing come to mind.
Doing and/or being. At some point “doing” stops needing a motivator “to do”. It becomes a way of being. Seems to me Jesus was allowing is to see that “being” is just that. And if grounded in love as with the law, the “doing” just is.
As I do not need a “reward” for breathing, neither do I need a reward for loving or doing. I just “am” – I become “am” (and stick and I in front and what do we have?).
Never thought so much could be got from this short set of verses!! Thank you!!
Thank you Paul; very neat comment!
With Jesus, what He was (is) and Who He was (is) was (is) always inseparable from what He did (does) and I think that for us to be like Him is the same, as you put it so well. Thank you!
Retweeted! “A peacemaker is someone who places a high priority on restoring relationships, even with those considered to be enemies; this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.” Great quote. This is another reason why I believe Christian bloggers need to have a discernable presence on the internet community. Thank you, Don!
Thank you 🙂