GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

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

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With every step I take today, I proclaim the good news of peace with God (Ephesians 6:15).

Wherever I go, I am a peacemaker, helping others to make peace with God and to make peace with one another. The peace, joy, and freedom I reflect comes from God, and I’m able to tell everyone I meet – sometimes even using words – that God is the source of my peace, that mercy triumphs over judgment.

The Holy Spirit empowers me to explain Jesus is my peace: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility . . .” (Ephesians 2:14 NIV).

We proclaim that we can rest peacefully in God’s hands, knowing “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).

Jesus, who is our peace, also guides “our feet into the path of peace.” It is a peace that “transcends all understanding,” a peace based on our confidence in God; forged in his forgiveness and strengthened by the heart of a Father (Luke 1:79 NIV; Philippians 4:7 NIV; see also Proverbs 3:5-6).

This bond of peace brings us together as a body (Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV).

But it is possible to miss God’s peace and Jesus is grieved when we do: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42 NIV).

And that is why we are peace-lights, no longer hidden, but shining from “a city on a hill.” “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14, 16 NIV).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness. James 3:18 (NLT)

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Peacemakers are not peacekeepers.

The critical difference is the peacekeeper seeks to keep the peace by maintaining a delicate balance between factions at war; the peacemaker seeks to create peace by invading the conflict with love.

Peacemakers are much like the dentist described by C.S. Lewis in, Mere Christianity. You come to the dentist with a toothache and all you want him to do is alleviate the pain, but, if he’s a good dentist, then he’ll insist he’s got to go in and eliminate what is causing the pain. This means you may experience, momentarily, more pain than you already have, but, in the long-run, you’re tooth will be healed.

Lewis used this analogy to describe the way that Jesus works.

Jesus is a peacemaker. He enters our conflict with God, bringing an aggressive love that simply will not stop until we make peace with God.

We, too, are called to be peacemakers, helping others make peace with God, and then helping them make peace with each other. We do this by entering their lives with an aggressive love that will not end.

We invade with a peace that is based on faith: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .” (Romans 5:1 NIV).

We proclaim that peace with God comes through an unconditional surrender, but that God, the one and only, is benevolent in victory, able to say, “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34 NIV).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. Colossians 2:16 (NIV)

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During World War II, a common practice among U.S. guards was to ask questions that, presumably, only someone from the U.S. would know (in the days before the Internet and worldwide television).

They’d ask a question like, “What league does the Chicago Cubs play in?” One legitimate U.S. general was held for several hours by security officers because he put the Cubbies in the American League instead of the National.

Comedian John Belushi, in the early days of Saturday Night Live, spoofed this kind of question in a skit where he was leading an American combat patrol and they came upon a man who was clearly German. Yet, Belushi asked him something like, “Who plays shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers?”

The German couldn’t answer, so Belushi put him at gunpoint. And the skit continued something like this:

One of the soldiers in Belushi’s squad asked, “Hey, Sarge, who does play shortstop for the Dodgers?”

Belushi jumps, saying, “Walters, if you don’t know the answer to that, you must be a German spy, too.” And he orders Walters to stand with the German prisoner.

“Jordan, tell them who plays shortstop for the Dodgers,” Belushi says.

“Gee, Sarge, I don’t know who plays shortstop for the Dodgers.” And so it goes until the only one left on the trigger side of the rifle is Belushi.

Then, one of the soldiers says, “Hey Sarge, at least tell us, who does play shortstop for the Dodgers?” Belushi thinks for a moment and then gets a panicked look on his face.

He says, “Oh man, I don’t know. I must be a German spy, too!” And he joins the others.

The apostle Paul says this is the problem with the law: We keep excluding people based on jot-and-tittle questions, such as what they eat or drink, how they celebrate a holiday, or if they wear a tie on Sunday (Colossians 2:16).

God comes in grace, saying, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6 NIV).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden. Matthew 23:4 (NLT)

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We’re surprisingly tolerant of a heretical form of religion practiced in many of our congregations. It’s a religion of pride, or perhaps the pride of religion. If you will – Prideligion.

Prideligion is prevalent among people of the list. They take pride in living according to their lists. There’s nothing wrong with establishing goals in discipleship, or to learn lists, such as the Ten Commandments.

The problem comes when the lists fail to keep the greatest commandant – love God with everything you’ve got. Jesus’ list of love covers all the other lists: love God, love your neighbor and, in the same way, love yourself.

But, very honestly, we like to create lists. Lists help us feel like we’re accomplishing something, and lists appeal to our pride. We can look at lists and say, “My, what a good boy I’ve been; what a good girl I’ve been; I’ve done well by all that’s on this list.”

But our lists pose the danger of derailing our desire to be intimate with the Lord. Jesus expressed a concern about these lists that can crush us with “impossible religious demands,” adding that the list-givers “never lift a finger to help ease the burden” (Matthew 23:4 NLT).

In contrast, Jesus said, “My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:30 NLT).

By loving others, we engage the power of God’s mercy and grace while also fulfilling the law: “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10 NIV).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.