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Peacemakers
| Bro Nasongo Harron (Naitiri, Kenya)
T
he word ‘peace’ is mentioned many times
in the Bible. In our daily lives, Christians
strive to have peace with friends, neighbors,
relatives and to have peace of mind. All know
the importance of peace. For the nation
without peace, its economy will decline or
become unstable. Without peace there can
be no democracy or even education.
Peace is what we all desire in our lifetimes,
then we can do what is good and right - not
in our sight, but in the sight of God Almighty.
As the Psalmist says: “Turn from evil and do
good; seek peace and do it” (Psalm 34:14).
Peace is a treasured quality and must be
sought after, implying that it is not always
readily available. As Christians, let us make
peace with ourselves first by considering how
true and loyal we are to ourselves. We must
review how we eat and drink, how or what we
feed our minds, what we do for a living.
Do we practice corruption or do we hate
corruption and such-like acts? This will help
to show us the direction to achieve peace. In
contrast, we know, “There is not peace”, says
the Lord, “for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22). So
we must be righteous to obtain peace from
God.
As the times of the Gentiles are drawing to an
end, nations strive to have peace, yet nation
is rising up against nation; war, calamities,
hunger, epidemics and all sorts of tribulation
are causing people, leaders and nations to
seek peace. Though they are using all means
possible, still no peace can be attained unless
we all turn to Almighty God. He is the one
who will give us peace.
It is important to know that we cannot
achieve a peaceful state of affairs whether in
our families or in ourselves if we are wicked.
No corruption, selfishness, hypocrisy, bad
morals: we need to stay clean from these.
Yes, no-one is righteous but let us try to
follow the example of our elder brother, the
Lord Jesus Christ. If we go astray, let us be
ready to go on our knees, accept the mistakes
we have made, ask for forgiveness and try
not to make the same mistakes again. Also,
we must ask the Lord for guidance in our
daily lives so that we do not fail him. Let us
try to be peacemakers: “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the
sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
How lovely to be called a son of the Most
High. If we want to achieve this, we have to
stop loving worldly pleasures and start
looking for the precious pearl that is treasure
for us. It is Christ who will give it to us if we
are good ambassadors, if we proclaim his
word amidst affliction and suffering to attain
peace. Peace will only come if people under-
stand, follow and practice the true gospel
from the Bible. Once we begin doing what is
right and just, then peace will come our way.
We shall not strain to look for peace, but
peace, grace and the love of our Lord Jesus
Christ will start following us.
Let us not tire or struggle looking for peace
through wars, arguments and such-like
things. The only power that can create or
perpetuate true peace is the grace of Christ.
When this is implanted in the heart, it will
cast out the evil passions that cause strife
and dissension. This is a great challenge.
Brethren and sisters welcome the one who is
peaceful, who brings peace into the hearts of
others, and lives so that he/she is a peace-
maker in a world in need of peace.
In our wishes and desires to be peacemakers
we personally need to be role models.
For the right prescription, we must emulate
Christ. Christ must be the centre of
everything. Challenges to peace are in every
corner of the world today. Families are
breaking up, corruption, tribalism, racism:
we face strife in our congregations, through
individual and community differences. Let us
recognize that Christ is the only source of the
peace that we need so much. The will of God
is not hidden. We need to listen to God’s
word and put aside our own agendas and
follow God’s will for our salvation: “Peace I