Monday Morning Memo: What is a Peacemaker?

This week we find our beatitude in Matthew 5:9 which tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  The version The Message says, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.  That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”

As I began studying this beatitude, it didn’t take long to realize that maybe what I was finding wasn’t going to be as easy to swallow as I thought it would be. If I’m honest, I think this has probably been one of the beatitudes which I sort of skimmed over.  Why?  Because I thought I had this one down.  I know I need some growth with the previous beatitudes, but not this one.  I’ve always thought of myself as a peaceful person.  I don’t like fights or upheaval.  So, I figured I could pass over this one.

But of course, I had to dig a little deeper to be able to write about it today, because maybe YOU needed to learn about being a peacemaker.  I should know by now that whenever I think that way…it won’t be long until my own toes are feeling rather bruised.  So, we will spend more than one week on this convicting beatitude.

So…what is a peacemaker?  Peacemakers are those whose life demonstrates peace.  This is just common sense, but I think we need to look at with whom we are supposed to be at peace.  First of all, I think we need to realize that:

1. Peacemakers are at peace with God.  We read in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord had done for us.”  Then, James 4:1-4 tells us, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?  Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?  You wantwhat you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it.  You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.  Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.  And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.

You adulterers!  Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  I say it again:  If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

Well now…James didn’t mince any words here, did he?  I’m guessing he didn’t receive the “Most Popular” award from those listening; but he knew he had to preach the truth, even if it made him unpopular.  It saddens me that some Christians today, even some in our pulpits, want to sugarcoat the gospel so that everyone feels good and doesn’t get their feelings hurt.  As followers of Christ, we are called to speak His Word in truth, even if it doesn’t make us well-liked.

It is obvious from James’ words that if we have anything in our life that isn’t pleasing to God, that sin makes us His enemy.  As a result, for us to have peace with God, we need to make sure we don’t have unconfessed sin in our life.  Thank goodness, since Jesus died on the cross for our transgressions, we can have our sins forgiven and as a result we can have peace with God.  A peacemaker is someone who has ended all conflict with Him and has accepted His Word as absolute truth.  You can’t make peace unless you are first at peace with God.

Friends, the truth is that you and I won’t have peace…our cities won’t have peace…our state won’t have peace…our country and world won’t have peace…until we have peace with our God.  Peace begins with me.  Peace begins with you.  But for us to have peace, we need to make sure we are not holding onto those things which come between us and our God.  Greed, lust, impure thoughts, adultery, gossip, evil desires, idolatry, hatred toward others, envy and the list goes on.  Anything that we are holding onto that puts a wedge between us and our God…will ensure that we won’t have peace.

I think before we continue with this beatitude, it might be a good idea for us to do some self-inventory this week.  Is there anything in your life and in my life that isn’t pleasing to God?  Are we more concerned about what everyone else thinks of us, instead of making sure we are at peace with Him?  Are we willing to stand up for God’s Word, speaking the truth, even when some may turn against us?

I know this hasn’t been a “feel-good” post, but I know there may be those, including myself, who need some toe-stepping.  I’m willing to take the chance…will you join me?

Until next week…

Monday Morning Memo: A Heart Matter Part II

Last week we began looking at the beatitude in Matthew 5:8, which reads, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  The Message states it this way, “You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right.  Then you can see God in the outside world.”  We ended by asking ourselves if we really want God to see and know our heart.  He does, whether we like it or not, but what are we doing to make sure our heart is clean and fully devoted to Him?  Are we ready and willing to pray David’s prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”?  

So how can we maintain a pure heart as we go through our days?  By ourselves, it is impossible, but what is impossible for us is possible for God!  With Him living in us and His Spirit controlling us, we can have a heart which is pleasing to Him.

One of the most primary ways we can develop a pure heart is by spending time in the Word of God.  As the psalmist said, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9) and then in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”   If we are struggling with having a pure heart, we need to check how much time we are spending in the Bible.

Another way to maintain a pure heart is through fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, because it helps to be accountable to one another.  Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,”Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, hisfriend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”  The author of Hebrews tells us in 10:24, “Let us consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  If you aren’t spending time with other believers, I highly encourage you to make it a priority.

Thirdly, we can train our heart for pure living by serving our Jesus.  The more we serve Him, the more devoted we become, and the more we will want to make sure our heart is pleasing to Him.

The end of this beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”, gives me chills!  When our time on this earth is over, those who have faithfully served Him as their Lord and Savior will see Him face to face for all of eternity.  I John 3:2 reads, “We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is”.

What an amazing promise!  Spending eternity with our Jesus is what we should look forward to…beyond college degrees, beyond climbing the corporate ladder or even beyond a secured retirement.  Seeing Him face to face will make our focus of having a pure heart all worthwhile!  

Monday Morning Memo: A Heart Matter Part I

I want to take a moment and thank you so much for your encouragement to me following last week’s post.  I believe I had the most “shares” and “views” of any post I have made.  Your love, support and especially prayers are so appreciated, and God is hearing and answering!  I seem to be healing well and need much less pain medicine…so I can’t thank you enough for lifting me up to the Throne.  My cast is to come off on Wednesday and then we will enter the next phase of my recovery.  God is SO good and I am so thankful that He sees you and me and cares about every aspect of our journey!

 

Today’s beatitude is the most central and significant of all the beatitudes mentioned in the fifth chapter of Matthew. Because of this, we will look at it in two parts, one today and then we will conclude it next week.

 

Matthew 5:8 says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  The Message states it this way:  "You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”

This beatitude is so central to our behavior because we can’t be poor in spirit without having a pure heart. We can’t mourn for the things that displease God without having a pure heart. We can’t be meek, we can’t hunger and thirst for righteousness, we can’t be merciful, we can’t be a peacemaker or be prepared to withstand persecution for the name of Christ,,,without having a pure heart. Actually, this is one of the most central principles of the Christian life which we see in the entire Bible. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

Unfortunately, we are usually more careful to keep everything clean which is seen by others and forget about the things which only God can see. If my hands are muddy, nobody wants to shake hands with me, so I better keep them clean. If I am wearing a dirty shirt, there is a good chance you would give more attention to my shirt and not hear what I am saying. We want to keep up appearances before others, but we forget about keeping pure before God.

That is why Jesus gave such a harsh rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees, who thought of themselves as the purest of all people. They were extremely careful to keep their outward appearance clean before men, but they didn’t worry about their relationship with God. Jesus told them: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.  (Matthew 23:25-28) 

Explaining to the disciples, He said in Matthew 15:19-20: “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”  

This is the impure heart.

1 Chronicles 28:9 says, “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

That is why David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 was, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” 

Do you know there are certain things we can do that God can’t? We can lie. We can commit adultery. We can cheat. We can steal. But God can’t break these moral laws, nor can He ignore them when we break them. We are usually fairly careful to observe the local laws set by our government because we have immediate consequences, but many times, we ignore the moral laws which have far more serious consequences. Having a pure heart means keeping God’s moral laws.

The interesting thing is that when we think of adultery, we think of it in the physical sense, having a sexual relation outside of marriage. The Bible does talk about this kind of adultery and certainly prohibits it. However, the Bible talks about spiritual adultery far more than physical adultery. There is a whole book written to deal with the issue of spiritual adultery in the people of God, the book of Hosea. There are many chapters in the Old Testament which deal with the spiritual adultery in the people of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus said you can’t worship God and money. So, when we devote our hearts to anything that is other than the cause of God, we commit spiritual adultery. As James said in James 4, verses 4 & 8:  4)“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”  8) “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

Both the Old and New Testaments say, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and the greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38; also Deuteronomy 6:5).

This is a pure heart in the spiritual sense.

The question is, do we really want God to see and know our heart?  He does, whether we like it or not, but what are we doing to make sure our heart is clean and fully devoted to Him?  Are we ready and willing to pray David’s prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”?  If we aren’t, then maybe we should spend this next week asking God to give us the courage to pray this prayer, expecting God to do a heart-cleaning within us for His glory!

Until next week…  

Monday Morning Memo: Life Update

I had my blog post all done for today, which centered on our next beatitude.  But I felt impressed to put a “pause” on this series to share with you a life update.

 

In the summer of 2022, I began having pain in both of my ankles.  I hadn’t had a particular injury which caused this…it just came on and it didn’t take long to have it really affect my daily life.  To make a long story short…it was discovered I had tears in both of my Achilles tendons.  I had to wear a boot on the ankle which was the worst until healing could occur.  Once that ankle had improved…I moved the boot to the other ankle and wore it until the pain lessened.

 

Over many months, healing did occur, and I was able to return to a fairly normal daily routine.  I was back walking and feeling good again and that continued until last August, 2023.  Dan and I were on vacation and were out on a hike and I suddenly had pain return to both ankles.  I thought just taking it easy for a while would settle down the pain, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.  So, by October I was back in the doctor’s office and it was confirmed I had tears in both Achilles once again.  This time I ended up having to wear 2 boots at the same time because I just couldn’t take the severe pain of walking with shoes.

 

Let me tell you…if you want to get attention when you are in public…put two boots on.  No matter where we went…people stared.  Mouths dropped open…fingers were pointed…gasps were heard.  Complete strangers came up to me to share their words of wisdom, such as “You have two boots on!”  It was good they told me because I, of course, had no idea I had boots on both of my feet   

 

I understand…it isn’t a normal thing to see and I learned to laugh at the comments…most of the time.  Fortunately, it also gave me an opportunity to share about God’s faithfulness to complete strangers.  I remember one gentleman approached me in a restaurant and he wanted to know why in the world I had two on and so I briefly shared what was going on.  His response was, “But you are still smiling.  How are you able to smile?”  So, I shared with him that even though I wasn’t enjoying going through this detour in my life…God was still faithful.  I told him God had never let me down yet…and I knew He wasn’t going to let me down now.  I wish I would have had a camera…because the look on his face was priceless.  I think my answer was much more than he bargained for.

 

I couldn’t begin physical therapy until this past January because we had to wait for the severe inflammation to settle down first.  So, the first week of the year I found myself with a therapist as he began working on trying to get me back to “normal”…whatever that is!  Again, to shorten the story…two weeks ago today…it was determined that physical therapy just wasn’t going to be able to fix my problems and I was told I needed to see a surgeon.  

 

By Wednesday of that week, I was sitting in the surgeon’s office and it was confirmed I needed surgery.  Since both ankles cannot be done at the same time, the decision was made to operate on the right one first because it was the worst one.  By Thursday of that week the surgery date was set for this past Thursday and I am now in a time of recovery. Once this ankle gets to a certain point in its healing, my left ankle will more than likely be operated on next.  I have been told that each surgery will have a total recovery time of 12 months.

 

I don’t know if you followed that timeline or not…but in the span of only 11 days…I was able to see my doctor, the surgeon, schedule surgery, get insurance approval and have the surgery! Absolutely amazing.  In this world of delays and life “hiccups”…nothing usually goes that smoothly.

 

Why am I sharing all of this with you today?  To be honest…I’m not sure…I just know that I felt God asking me to do so.  I’m wondering if maybe you are also going through something in your life where you aren’t sure that God really “sees” you.  You may feel all alone in your current troubles…I know I have had days where I felt like that.  You may feel like maybe there isn’t any hope of things getting better…I know I have had days where I lost hope.  You may be in so much physical or emotional pain today that you feel you just can’t go on…trust me…I’ve had many days where I felt like the pain was too intense and I couldn’t go on.

 

Wherever you find yourself today…I want to encourage you and let you know that God does SEE you.  He knows right where you are and nothing you are going through is a surprise to Him.  He loves you so much and cares more for you than you can even imagine.  Can He touch you today and take all your pain and troubles away?  Yes, our God is all powerful and there isn’t anything He can’t do…but He may not choose to do so.  Because sometimes God doesn’t take you out of the fire.  Sometimes He just chooses to get in the fire with you.

 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my ankles are not the only health issues which I face on a daily basis.  Have I wanted to be miraculously healed?   You bet I have!  But I have felt God impressing on me that I can do more for Him with my health issues than without and if that is truly the case…then my desire should be to bring Him glory…even in the fire.  Ephesians 3:20 reminds me that, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  HE IS ABLE…and until I take my last breath…I want to bring Him all the glory that He so richly deserves.

 

So, wherever you find yourself today…look up.  If you feel you are at the end of your rope…tie a knot in it and hang on.  Trust the One who holds you in the palm of His hand and won’t ever let you go and then I urge you to repeat this prayer:

 

“Father, I put my trust in You and today I give You _______________(state whatever struggle you are facing).  I thank You that you see me right where I am.  I thank You that You are the God of the impossible.  You can do anything and so I put my trust in Your ability and not my own.  Help me Father not to fear, but to rely on Your strength, Your power and Your timing…knowing that Your ways are perfect.  May my days be an example to others of your faithfulness and may my actions bring You all the glory and honor which You so richly deserve.  Amen.”

 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others,

that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16