LORD’S DAY, JULY 30
Matthew 5:38-48
Matthew 5:9

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God."

BE PEACEMAKERS

The tenth sign of born-again believers is they are peacemakers. "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt 5:9). Many think that they are worshipping and serving the living and true God, but their gods are totally different from the living and true God of the Christian Bible. Their gods teach them to kill and to make war!

The living and true God of the Christian Bible is a loving, good, longsuffering, merciful, gracious, holy and righteous God, who commands His children to be perfect and loving as He is perfect and loving (Exod 34:6-7; Matt 5:44-48). The living and true God is "the God of peace" (Rom 15:33; 16:20) and the Lord Jesus is "the Lord of peace" (2 Thess 3:16), "the Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6), and "the King of Peace" (Heb 7:2)! His Gospel is "the Gospel of peace" (Eph 6:15), and "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom 14:17). The Lord Jesus did not have an army on earth to fight against those who wanted to destroy Him (John 18:36), but He teaches His followers to live in peace with others: "have peace one with another" (Mark 9:50). God’s Word also teaches us: "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men" (Rom 12:18), and "Follow peace with all men" (Heb 12:14).

Due to man’s rebellious and hostile nature toward God (Isa 65:2; Rom 8:7), we must be born again to be true "peacemakers," and "have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1), and then to have the peace of God and the God of peace ruling in our hearts (Col 3:15; Heb 13:20-21). Then, we can be peacemakers to help others have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, to "be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:20) and to live in peace with one another (2 Cor 13:11). God’s true children are "peacemakers" and not troublemakers. Sadly, many professing Christians do not want to live in peace with their neighbours, but may even want to sue their neighbours due to their self-interest, envy and covetousness!

THOUGHT: God’s true children must be peacemakers.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank Thee for regenerating me to be Thy child.