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Calling the peacemakers
'BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS.' MATTHEW 5:9
In this world full of conflict you have to take sides. You have two options; you can be a troublemaker or a peacemaker! You can add to the stress or you can bring a solution.
Check this out: A little guy was confronted by three bullies, any one of whom could have flattened him and that's what they had in mind but even though the guy was small he was a quick thinker. He backed off, drew a line in the dirt and then backed up a few more steps. In a statement that sounded like suicide he looked into the eyes of the biggest of the three and said, 'Now, you just step across that line!' The big bully did. At that moment the little guy grinned and said, 'Good, now we're both on the same side!'
Peacemakers look for common ground and try to get everyone onto it. Their goal is to find a win-win situation. Barnabas, whose name means 'Son of encouragement,' looked out for the newly converted Paul until he'd got rid of his dangerous reputation as an enemy of Christians. Given Paul's track record, who could blame them? Barnabas wasn't looking at Paul's troubled past; he was thinking about his potential and his risk paid off big time.
Saul the persecutor soon became Paul the apostle! Barnabas had to put his credibility on the line for this to happen. Peacemaking means taking a risk on people, judging them by their best moments rather than their worst. Here's another way to think about it; peacemakers see right through petty personal opinions or tedious temporary conditions; they're governed by grace. So, are you ready to be a peacemaker?
written by Bob Gass
'BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS.' MATTHEW 5:9
In this world full of conflict you have to take sides. You have two options; you can be a troublemaker or a peacemaker! You can add to the stress or you can bring a solution.
Check this out: A little guy was confronted by three bullies, any one of whom could have flattened him and that's what they had in mind but even though the guy was small he was a quick thinker. He backed off, drew a line in the dirt and then backed up a few more steps. In a statement that sounded like suicide he looked into the eyes of the biggest of the three and said, 'Now, you just step across that line!' The big bully did. At that moment the little guy grinned and said, 'Good, now we're both on the same side!'
Peacemakers look for common ground and try to get everyone onto it. Their goal is to find a win-win situation. Barnabas, whose name means 'Son of encouragement,' looked out for the newly converted Paul until he'd got rid of his dangerous reputation as an enemy of Christians. Given Paul's track record, who could blame them? Barnabas wasn't looking at Paul's troubled past; he was thinking about his potential and his risk paid off big time.
Saul the persecutor soon became Paul the apostle! Barnabas had to put his credibility on the line for this to happen. Peacemaking means taking a risk on people, judging them by their best moments rather than their worst. Here's another way to think about it; peacemakers see right through petty personal opinions or tedious temporary conditions; they're governed by grace. So, are you ready to be a peacemaker?
written by Bob Gass
