I find it very interesting to look at these two Beatitudes together in one blog; blessed are the peacemakers and the persecuted. They seem at opposite ends of the world. The word peace feels calming and beautiful. Jesus gives us His peace in John 14:27 ” Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” We all dream of world peace, a time when everyone lives together in harmony. God even calls us to peacefulness in the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22. We all crave peace, and God calls us to be peaceful creatures, I think it remains elusive for most of us in today’s society. Sin has stolen our peace.
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Peace must first come from within our souls. To be at peace, we must love and forgive others the same way Jesus loved and forgave. We must try to live out each of the other Beatitudes by being poor in Spirit, mournful, meekness, hunger for righteousness, merciful and pure of heart. Make such choices will give us internal peace and then we can offer that peace to those around us. Some will want such peace, but others will reject it to try to gain the world. Those who obtain peace and share it with others will be called the children of God.
To be at peace, we must love and forgive others the same way Jesus loved and forgave. Click To TweetEven if we define our lives around the Beatitudes, life will not always be rosy. As long as sin exists in the world, believers in Christ will face persecution. Men have reviled Christians since time began and it continues to this day. Churches get burned down; prison time awaits many believers and martyrdom still happen. And the Bible tells us that persecution will continue to increase.
Blessed are the Persecuted
In the face of unimaginable trails, we must not lose sight of loving and forgiving others as Christ did. In Matthew, God reminds us to rejoice and be glad when we suffer for the Gospel’s sake. But, is that something I could do? I pray for God’s peace to fill my heart if I ever face such circumstances. But I also pray never to suffer persecution. Luke 12:12 assures us “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” God will be with us in the trial. The kingdom of Heaven awaits all those who suffer for Christ’s sake.
In the face of unimaginable trails, we must not lose sight of loving and forgiving others as Christ did. Click To Tweet“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
As we wrap up this look at the Beatitudes, I pray for each of us to take them to heart and put them into practice. May the peace of God be with you today and always. May He give you the strength to face your daily challenges and may He bring each of us into life eternal with Him
Blessings,
Yvonne – #blogger, #speaker, and #author
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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Good points. Being forgiving as Christ forgave – even when we are the midst of pain, trails, and persecution makes a powerful testimony – a witness to the power of Christ.
Thanks Yvonne 🙂
Forgive as He forgave. Amen
It is always a gift to talk to Christians who are at peace in spite of difficult circumstances.
Yvonne, this was interesting to look at peace and persecution together. I like how you discussed living at peace with others only comes through the same love and forgiveness Christ compels us to act on. This series is over already?! It sure has been a great one!
I’m enjoying this series! I pray I may grow into more peace as life’s struggles continue! 🙂
Yvonne, Great thoughts on the Beatitudes! I love the words, “The kingdom of Heaven awaits all those who suffer for Christ’s sake.” Amen. That brings peace. Thanks and blessings to you as well.
I’m glad you posted about peace and persecution together, Yvonne. Peace surely helps us endure persecution. I think of Psalm 23 which comforts us with the fact that we can enjoy a banquet in the midst of our enemies. With God, we can be attacked and we don’t have to fight back.
I like that you included peace and persecution in the same post, Yvonne. Peace surely helps us endure persecution. I think of Psalm 23 which comforts us with the fact that we can enjoy a banquet in the midst of our enemies. With God, we can be attacked and we don’t have to fight back.
The command to forgive is critical. May our eyes remain steady on Jesus, that we may respond with His grace in our world.
Peace and persecution.
Only in Christ can they exist side by side!
Forgiveness is the answer to so much! It seems hard, but it’s a wonderful act of surrender to the Lord.
Another beautiful post! Peacemakers are in high demand in our world of conflict and confrontation today. I love this: “Peace must first come from within our souls. To be at peace, we must love and forgive others the same way Jesus loved and forgave.” Yep. We cannot live this lifestyle without Jesus and the grace he gives.
A-Men Sister very good points about these important verses in God’s Word…..
“your reward is great in heaven” is a promise from God. When we face our persecutors with love, forgiveness, and mercy, we will be rewarded one day in eternity. But we are also rewarded now, with the peace we obtain from doing the selfless thing. What at timely post the day before Easter. Jesus is our example!
I love this: “Peace must first come from within our souls. To be at peace, we must love and forgive others the same way Jesus loved and forgave.”
Nice work! God bless! Happy Easter!
“Sin has stolen our peace.” What a great intro to your post. I have enjoyed your posts on the Beatitudes. And particularly in this post is that the peace we so desperately seek stems from the state of our souls, rather than outside and eternal events. And I agree, to find peace we must start by loving and forgiving others, just as Jesus did and continues to do for us.
I am so thankful that God’s peace is not based on my earthly circumstances! I always know when I’m experiencing His peace because it doesn’t entirely make sense according to the world. What an amazing God we serve!
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