Blessed are the Peacemakers
"Peace is so much more than inner tranquility or absence of war", it is remarkably more than how it is defined by the world. Of course peace is so much more than it seems! It is easy to believe we can create shalom on our own or can obtain it when all is perfectly ordered in the way we desire it to be. But the peace of God is unexplainable and absolutely created by Him alone. He has brought deep peace in my life when all around was chaos, and this peace, this shalom was sufficient. Sufficient not because all was going well, but because God had brought it, and God Himself was the Shalom.
Lord I pray that I would be in sync with you and your gospel. I want echo DJ’s prayer, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. Oh divine master, grant that I may not so much console as to be consoled, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is through pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born into eternal life.”
God does not call me to bring judgement or what I feel someone deserves upon them. Only the Lord has that authority and I am not God. What a reminder-- you, Kailie are not God. God is God and He is in control. He is the righteous judge who extends mercy upon mercy despite what we do and do not deserve.
I think my desire to bring judgment rather than mercy is often a distrust that God’s loving mercy is enough and truly the best thing for that person.
What God does call me to is a heart of surrender to Him, giving Him all resistance within me to withhold mercy.
Father please meet me in the resistance with a reminder and push to let go of control and forgivingly and genuinely extend mercy to another.
Blessed are the Pure in Heart
My thoughts on this are a little difficult to communicate, but to look at this beatitude in light of all the others was very helpful. To be pure in heart means much more now than it did. When in the word, I'm beginning to recognize the connections of each of the beatitudes, especially in Proverbs.
After listening, I recalled some moments where Jesus has been seen. Some of the most clear and recent moments were in the days following the past few summers. Why is it that in and after times like these that God is so easily seen? It is here that I have allowed my heart to seek and commune fully in unity with Him and have draw near as He has drawn near. Jesus, I pray that this deep communing and heart focus would be true in all seasons.
A few other things DJ said that caught my attention:
“Hoard nothing of yourself, surrender it to the Lord.”
“The pure in heart praise Him from sunrise to sun down even when they feel broken, distracted, insecure and uncertain.”
Lord, thank you for these past few weeks of listening and writing together. Please continue to draw us to yourself in all things.
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