Daily Devotional

Monday, August 23, 2010

“Blessed are the peacemakers,

  for they shall be called sons God.

Jesus is telling us that if we call ourselves sons of God, then we should have the characteristics of our heavenly Father. We know from Scripture that our heavenly Father is a "God of peace" (Romans 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20). We know that heaven is a world of peace (Luke 19:38). And most important of all, we know that God is a peacemaker!

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19). He made peace by the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20). Even though by nature we are rebels against God and have sinned against Him and deserve death, God has sacrificed his own Son and now declares mercy to any who will lay down their pride and selfishness and come home to faith.

By the sovereign work of God's grace rebel human beings are born again, and brought from rebellion to faith, and made into children of God. We were given a new nature, after the image of our heavenly Father (1 John 3:9). If he is a peacemaker, then his children, who have his nature, will be peacemakers too.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for giving me a new nature. Please continue to mold me into someone more like you, Lord. I pray that I would become a peacemaker, and that my life would be honoring to you.