Month: August 2023

This is such a peaceful scene for me, walking in the quiet woods, sun peaking in and out of the trees, refreshing coolness of the shade on a hot day.  Close your eyes and picture what makes you feel peaceful.  Then open your eyes and describe it to another person, or if no one is nearby, take out a piece of paper and write about it.  Just taking the time to think about it and share it will help you experience the feeling of peace permeating your mind and body.

In Matthew 5 Jesus taught the crowd on the mountain along with His disciples what we now know as the Beatitudes which are part of the Sermon on the Mount.  Blessed are…  Wouldn’t you like to be considered blessed?  Absolutely!  And we are blessed if we are His child.  The Beatitudes give us eight different descriptive statements of how we are blessed and the results.  I’m focusing today on verse 9:

“Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.”
Matthew 5:9, KJV

Peacemakers or peacekeepers???  Some people use these two words interchangeably but to a great degree, they are not synonyms.  Both are nouns but seem more like active verbs.  A peacemaker is one who is actively looking for ways of finding a peaceful solution to conflict, and in particular reconciling people to God and to one another.  A peacekeeper is one who looks for ways of avoiding issues, smoothing over problems and conflicts, and keeping things quiet before they get to the point of conflict.

I came across a good definition of a peacekeeper that really sums up what a peacekeeper is:

“Peacekeepers relish developing positive relationships between people, and seeking harmony, compromise, and cooperation. They tend to be empathetic, agreeable, agile, and diplomatic.”

from https://principlesyou.com/archetypes/peacekeeper

Both peacemakers and peacekeepers are needed in the church and the world.  Peacemakers are looking for ways to resolve issues that are already present.  Peacekeepers are on the lookout for ways of diverting or avoiding issues that may cause problems.  Both are tough jobs and over the years I’ve been in both situations.  Sometimes it seems like there is no way to resolve some issues which makes the peacemaker’s job difficult.  Then there are other times that no matter how much you try to divert attention away from or avoid an issue, it’s hard to keep peace. 

Maintaining a positive attitude, working towards harmony, compromise, and cooperation, and being agreeable and diplomatic as stated in the above quote are definitely a great start to being a peacekeeper and will go a long way in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere, whether it’s home, church, work, or anywhere else in the world. 

When you have children, parents learn to be peacekeepers along the way.  Even in a marriage, one spouse learns ways of being a peacekeeper when things get tense and tempers flare.  Being a peacekeeper puts you on the hot seat, so to speak, and while it makes you a hero to one person, it’s not always as pleasant with the other person.  Finding ways to resolve issues are not always easy for the peacemaker either.  While one party might be satisfied, another may accuse you of showing favoritism.

“For God is not a God of disorder
but of peace,
as in all the meetings
of God’s holy people.”
I Corinthians 14:33, NLT

God wants us to have order in our lives and the peace that goes along with it.  That is the job of both a peacemaker and a peacekeeper—to constantly be striving towards a peaceful resolution of conflict as well as an ongoing peaceful environment. 

What does a peaceful living or working environment look like to you?  Do you have it now?  Could you help to achieve it?  We all need peace in our lives and in the world.  Unrest in other parts of the world does affect us no matter where we live.  PRAY for peace.  True eternal peace is yet to come, but is promised to us when we belong to Him. 

There’s an old saying that To find a prince you got to kiss some toads.  I can’t say that I ever kissed any toads, but then I didn’t get a prince either. 

Today I want to talk about the Prince of Peace, Jesus, as He is referred to in the Gospels.  Jesus often disturbed the peace rather than smoothing over things to keep peace.  He spoke the truth when truth was what was needed, not caring about His own safety. He did this because he came to bring true shalom, not superficial peace.  His peace is “name brand”, not generic or store brand.  I’m OK with generic or store brand on some items, but not everything.  Sometimes they just don’t cut it and I need the name brand.  Jesus is the only one who can bring true “name brand” peace.

As Christians who belong to God, we need to have integrity and do what is right regardless of what others may think. We need to aim for real peace, not the name brand that only hints at peace.  For peace to reign in us, we need to experience all that God has for us. 

“And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6b, NIV

When do you usually hear that verse?  Probably at Christmastime when we talk about Jesus coming to earth and the names He will be given as referenced in Isaiah long before Jesus was born.  Jesus didn’t come into the world as a prince would, though.  He came into the world in a dirty old stable of animals.  But isn’t that so symbolic?  He came into the world to save sinners who were full of dirt and sin, so why wouldn’t He come into a dirty stable?  If He had come to minister to princes and men of social status, He might have come into a pristine castle and been attended by socialites rather than a teen mother, carpenter father, and shepherds. 

Tranquility is one aspect of peace.  This world is definitely not full of tranquility, but the Prince of Peace came to bring tranquility to the hearts and minds of those who accept and believe in Him.  When I think of tranquil, I picture a lake with still, calm water, nothing moving, looking like a sea of glass.  Tranquil is the opposite of turbulence.  Turbulence reminds me of the harsh ripples in the ocean after a speedboat zooms by, churning up the water.  When the turbulence is over, tranquility can once again be seen and felt, but many times it takes a long while for the storm to pass by and calmness to descend again.

“Tranquility is a sense of peace and quiet. It is the feeling you have while sitting under a starry sky, listening to the crickets. The aura of tranquility comes from the calm in the world, which makes you feel you are without a care in the world.”

from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tranquillity

If you’re a camper, that word picture soothes your spirit.  For me, it’s sitting quietly on my porch swing staring up into the clouds on a clear evening when the noise of lawn mowers and vehicles have died down for the day, or walking through the woods at sunset when the birds and animals are settling down for the night and their chatter ceases.

Webster says peaceful implies a state of repose in contrast with or following strife or turmoil.  That’s a perfect picture of Jesus resting in the grave after the turmoil of Holy Week and the pain and agony He went through for us to have His perfect peace.

Countries can be at war with each other and yet talk about pledging peace and tranquility, but often it it is all talk or that they are saying that because they’re both at odds with another country.  That is not true peace and tranquility.  Countries and governments can produce a sense of peace at times, but it will never be a truly lasting peace until our Prince of Peace comes and sends evil away and reigns over the world with a true sense of Godly peace because He is our Prince of Peace.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself
give you His peace
at all times and in every situation.
The Lord be with you all.”
II Thessalonians 3:16, NLT

Peace can be transient and temporary unless it’s from the Prince of Peace Himself.  His peace is there for us all the time, no matter what comes our way.  Do you know the Prince of Peace?  Do you have His peace in your heart?  You can…just ask Him…and don’t let anything steal it away from you.

Who remembers the old TV game show “Truth or Consequences”?  While we don’t know what animals are thinking since they can’t talk to us, I liked to imagine what my cat might be thinking.  Sometimes she gave me that look that seemed to say I dare you…to move me! 

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”
says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary to mine.
You make alliances not directed by my Spirit,
thus piling up your sins.”
Isaiah 30:1, NLT

In II Chronicles 20:35-37, King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was very wicked.  A prophet told Jehoshaphat, “Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your work.” So the ships met with disaster and never put out to sea.”  That was definitely truth or consequences!  Jehoshaphat did not align himself with truth and suffered the consequences.

Paul told the Corinthians that bad company corrupts good character.  That still holds true today.  Sometimes young people think they can hang out with friends who don’t hold to the same moral and spiritual guidelines that they do, but soon find themselves getting swept away by the company they keep and their good character becomes tainted.  Does that sound a little like Adam and Eve and the serpent?  No I don’t think that’s stretching the truth at all.  They were all in the same Garden and were talking together.  If Eve hadn’t hung around and listened to the serpent, she might not have gotten caught up with his lies and then passed them on to Adam.  It’s in the company you keep.

“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things,
for “bad company corrupts good character.”
I Corinthians 15:33, NLT

While we often want to think some things in life are gray, I’m a black-and-white person.  It’s either OK or it isn’t.  So when I hear, see, read, or watch something, my mind is conscientiously processing it and running it through the filter of God’s truth.  For instance, this morning I heard something on Christian radio and it sounded good.  It happened to be a song, but I’m not going to get into what type of music it was because that’s irrelevant.  What is important is the truth, the message, and what’s behind it. 

I’d heard this particular song dozens if not hundreds of times before, liked it, and even worshipped God through it.  But I know there are lots of false teachings out there and so I like to step back and do a little research.  I want to make sure that what I am listening to adheres to Scripture, has a solid message, and that the person who wrote it and sings it is a good conduit of God’s truths.  In this particular song, I was disappointed to find that it is aligned with a church that has a bad reputation and does not hold to the inerrant Word of God.

The words of a song may sound good, but we need to do more than just give voice to the words and enjoy the music.  Let me ask you a question…  When you find a product you like (a book, a toiletry, a line of clothing), do you not look for other items by the same author or company?  Why?  Because you like the one you have experienced.  When you hear a song you like, do you not hop onto YouTube and see what other songs there are by the same person?  You’re hooked!  The author has your attention.  But when you listen to the next song or message, are you really paying attention to the words?  Are you hearing and processing the words to see if they hold to the truth of God’s Word?  That’s check one.

Check two is looking up the author or group.  Who are they aligned with?  In other words, where do they attend church?  Do they share a platform or agenda with anyone, and if so, what are their beliefs?  Years ago I attended a concert of one of my favorite singers but as I wasn’t then aware is the norm, another singer and group preceded them on stage to open the concert and I was very disappointed in that group.

Who we spend time with rubs off on us and affects our thoughts and personality.  So digging a little into music, speakers, and even churches before supporting them enthusiastically should be our due diligence.  My personal rule of thumb is that if I find anything that doesn’t align with God’s Word or the person or group shares “stage” with someone who promotes false teachings…then I immediately stop listening to anything by that person or group.  That may sound narrow-minded to some, but think about it.  If Eve had stopped listening to the serpent in the beginning, this world wouldn’t be in the mess it is in today!  What she did trickled down through history, and what we do trickles down to those who come after us.  Are we allowing wrong to keep on or are we filtering it out?  Truth promotes good but evil brings consequences.

When I started my blog in January, I never realized there were so many aspects and attributes to peace.  This week a new one presented itself to me…not new in general or in concept, but a new realization for me.  Rest in peace.  We hear that at funerals but it became a reality for my 16-year companion cat, Joy.  Her quality of life has been going downhill since she became deaf about 2 years ago, and though I miss her terribly already, I had to be merciful and let her go on before me to wait for me at Heaven’s gates.  It was a very difficult decision to make.  Her sad eyes looking at me, pleading, and her meows of discomfort were breaking my heart.  As I sat in the vet’s office holding Joy for the last time, I hugged her, comforted her, and whispered in my heart rest in peace until I see you again.

I know some people do not believe pets will be in Heaven, but I do.  Why else would God create animals if He didn’t intend to take care of them for eternity?  If you’ve never read Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven, it’s an awesome read.  In it he talks about this very subject as well as all the other things we will experience in Heaven—all based on Scripture.  It changed my whole perspective of Heaven when I read it a few years ago.

I’ve written a rather long post on my blog in memory of Joy and you can read the complete post here.  I just want to share an excerpt from the end below.

“It felt like she was holding on for me even though she was hurting, and I didn’t want her to suffer or struggle on my account.  I wanted what was best for her.  I know how it is when I don’t feel well and struggle to get up and get something to eat or get a shower or even talk to anyone.  It’s no fun, takes all your energy, and is not the way I would want to live the rest of my life.  The Bible tells us to be merciful to others if we want to be shown mercy, and as I meditated on that, I knew it was time to give her up and put her down.

“So my beautiful, soft, loving Joy, go to sleep peacefully, rest in peace, enjoy the eternal rest you’ve earned by being such a loving, faithful companion to me here, and I’ll see you on the other side to share eternity with you.  Until then…”

When we talk about resting in peace, it has a very comforting, relaxing, almost ethereal feeling to it.  Yes, ethereal which means extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.  Picture a clear, calm day in the sun, no distractions like phones, radios, or people.  You just sink into a comfortable chair and feel yourself relaxing.  Then you close your eyes and drift away into a peaceful sleep, no cares in the world, just a calming, restful, peaceful time.  I think that is what resting in peace would be like, and it definitely will be peace when we rest in Jesus’ arms as He carries us into eternity with Him.  That kind of peace is definitely too perfect for this world!  Those kind of restful times with no distractions come to an end all too quickly, but when we rest in peace in eternity, there will not be an end.  It will be an ongoing way of life.

“As for you, go your way until the end.
You will rest, and then at the end of the days,
you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
Daniel 12:13, NLT

There is an eternal peace and rest but there are stipulations.  You need to be one of God’s children and follow Godly paths.  Then when you die, you will rest in peace.  Clergy speaking platitudes or even Scripture over a deceased person is not what gives them eternal peaceful rest.  So don’t wait until you or a loved one is on your death bed to establish a relationship with the Lord.  Do it while you can so you will be ready to take that rest in peace when the time comes because the other direction you’ll want to avoid is not rest and not peaceful.

“For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.”
Isaiah 57:2, NLT

I hope to see you on the other side to share eternity with you.  Until then…rest in peace.