What Does It Mean to Be a Peacemaker? | S3E23

What does it mean to be a peacemaker — and why is it so completely different from what most of us have been doing? Because most of us hear peacemaker and picture somebody who just wants everybody to get along, avoids every hard conversation, and keeps the peace at all costs. And that is not a peacemaker at all. That is a peacekeeper. And in Episode 23 of Unscripted Conversations y’all we are going to talk about the difference and it is going to change how you see this whole beatitude.

But we are not just talking about peacemaking today. We are covering all three of the beatitudes in Matthew 5:7-9 — mercy, purity of heart, AND peacemaking. And in the world we are living in right now I cannot think of three things we need more desperately or three things the world pushes back against harder.

What Does It Mean to Be a Peacemaker? — Listen to S3E23

Y’all I got fired up on this one. My husband Sam is a Sheriff Deputy and this episode got really personal in the best way.

What Does It Mean to Be a Peacemaker — And What It Is NOT

Let’s start here because I think this is the most misunderstood beatitude of the three. A peacekeeper avoids conflict at all costs. They smooth things over, keep everybody comfortable, and make sure nobody ever gets too upset about anything. A peacemaker is completely different.

The NLT says God blesses those who WORK for peace. Work. That is active. That is intentional. That is walking toward the hard thing instead of around it. It requires you to care more about the relationship being restored than about being right. It is costly and uncomfortable and in a world where everybody has picked a side and is firmly planted there — choosing to be a peacemaker can make you a target from both directions.

My husband Sam does this every time he is on a call. He walks into situations that are already on fire and his job is to bring them to a place where people can actually function. Not by ignoring what caused the fire. By dealing with it in a way that does not make everything worse. That is peacemaking. Read Matthew 5:7-9.

What Does Peacemaker mean along with Mercy and Pure in Heart

These three beatitudes belong together and I think when you see them side by side the picture gets really clear.

• Blessed are the merciful — mercy is not letting people off the hook. It is choosing to treat someone with dignity even when they have not earned it. And the promise is that the ones who extend mercy will find themselves shown mercy by God. Think about how much we need that on any given day.
• Blessed are the pure in heart — this is not about being perfect. It is about what is actually driving you underneath all the performance. When your inside world is genuinely oriented toward God you start to see Him everywhere. Even in the middle of the mess. Especially in the middle of the mess.
• Blessed are the peacemakers — the ones doing the hard costly intentional work of building bridges in a world that is very busy building walls. And the promise? They will be called children of God. Because when you are working for peace in a world that is working against it — you look like your Father.

Every single one of these requires you to choose something costly over something comfortable. And every single one comes with a promise that makes it worth it. You can catch up on last week’s episode here What Does Poor in Spirit Mean?.

Being a Peacemaker in Your Real Life Right Now

That is the question I really want you to walk away asking yourself today. Not just what does it mean in theory. What does it mean for YOU right now.

Is there a relationship that needs the hard conversation you have been putting off? Is there a situation where you have been keeping the peace instead of making it? Is there someone you have been withholding mercy from — not because it was okay what they did, but because bitterness is easier than grace?

After you listen I want you to actually stop and think about these questions. Get a piece of paper, open your journal, whatever works for you. Because I think God is pressing on something specific for each person hearing this. And I think you already know what it is.

Pin It for Later

Save this to your Faith or Bible Study board and send it to somebody who needs to hear today that gentleness is not weakness — it is one of the strongest things a person can do.

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