“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Hebrews 12:14 teaches us to do whatever it costs to live at peace with all men. There’s a peace that comes from having an inner peace with God, one that allows you to sleep at night because you have been perfectly honest with yourself and with God. If you’re reading this, you probably have that peace. Quite literally, if you have made peace with God you are a son of God!

There’s another kind of peace that comes when you are at peace with those around you. Let’s face it, not everyone likes you or me. We may have enemies, even in the Christian body. But the Bible is clear that we are to make peace with those individuals. Whenever we encounter a situation that is hostile and fraught with tension, we are to be peacemakers. Listening to both sides of the story and helping to correct the situation is blessed by God. But before we do that we have to have the mind of Christ.

[I should note that I believe that the Beatitudes are very individual in application versus that of a nation. Here’s what I mean. While “blessed are the poor in spirit” could be applied to an entire nation, I believe it is to be applied to the individual man. Jesus was speaking to a group of individuals, his disciples and a host of his followers. It would be possible to make the case of applying to “a nation” if he were addressing political leaders. For example, 2 Chronicles 7:14 seems to clearly address nations when referring to humility and seeking God’s face. Obviously, this interpretation is controversial in light of current political and military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan (for Americans).]