Daily Devotion

When I was growing up, whenever my parents would leave me and my brothers alone in the house, they would say, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They knew my brothers and I could push each other buttons and cause a fight. They wanted us to not only not cause a fight, but to be a source of peace.

You are a source of peace.

Everyone who has received the Gospel in faith has received the peace of God. That peace is shared with your brothers and sisters in Christ bringing peace between us. We also bring God’s peace when we share the Gospel with others. This is the thrust of this blessing as Jesus teaches His disciples.

In Matthew 10, Jesus sent His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven and spread the Gospel. This is what Jesus said when he sent them:

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” – Matthew 10:7-14

When your bring the Gospel of Jesus to others and those people receive that Gospel, they receive the peace of God. You are a peacemaker.

In fact, it’s a peace so great that not only are you no longer an enemy of God, but He calls you His son or daughter. Only God’s children can bring this kind of peace.

Remember, the Beatitudes are not a list of new commands and rewards. They are a description of who we are in Christ and the blessings we have because of who we are in Christ. You have been made a peacemaker, an ambassador of the Gospel…or, as Jesus says just a few verses later in the Sermon on the Mount,

“You are the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”.

As the light of Jesus shines out from you, people see it and some will receive it and the peace that comes with it. Not only are you and will you be called sons and daughters of God by God, Himself, but those people who know Jesus through you will also regard you as such. In Galatians, Paul brought the Gospel to them and they “received [him] as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.”

God has brought peace to you through the Gospel and now you are a light shining that Gospel to others and bringing peace to them.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for making peace between you and me through Jesus. May the light of Christ shine brightly from me that others would see it and come to know You and the peace You bring, a peace so great that not only are we not enemies anymore, but You have made us Your children.

Amen.