Blessed are the PeaceMakers

Day 1: Active Peace, Not Avoided Conflict

The Rundown

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

It’s one of the most famous Beatitudes, and it is almost certainly the one we misunderstand the most. When we hear the word "peacemaker," a lot of us picture a passive person. We picture someone who just shuts their mouth, stays calm, and avoids rocking the boat.

But if you look at the original language, this is not a passive concept at all. The Greek word here is eirenopoios. It’s a compound word: eirene (peace) and poieo (to make). It is a verb. A peacemaker is literally someone who is making peace.

Here is the hard truth we have to swallow right out of the gate: avoiding conflict is not the same thing as making peace. Those are two totally different things. I know how easy it is to want to avoid the fight. My wife, Debbie, is a conflict avoider. She hates arguing because it emotionally drains her, so she will do everything she can to steer clear of it. Me? I don't look for arguments, but if one comes up, I'm not afraid to lean into it. I’d rather dig into the mess, get down to what is actually going on, deal with the problem head-on, and actually get to real peace on the other side.

Some of us are still holding on to things from years ago because we didn't want to deal with them. We pushed the conflict down, we never talked about it, and then we wonder why we have a massive explosion over what to eat for dinner. A peacemaker doesn't run from the uncomfortable, awkward moments. A peacemaker actively steps straight into the conflict in order to resolve it.

The Challenge

Look at your own life and ask yourself: are you actually making peace, or are you just avoiding conflict and calling it peace? When you avoid the hard conversations, you aren't resolving the issue; you are just delaying the explosion.

Action Step

Identify one area in your life—a marriage issue, a frustration with your kids, or a lingering grievance with a friend—where you have been avoiding a hard conversation. Commit to bringing it into the light today and having that conversation, knowing it will be uncomfortable for a minute, but it leads to true peace.

Day 2: The Root of the Mess

The Rundown

Genesis 3:16-17 (ESV)

To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you." And to Adam he said, "...cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life..."

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

If we are called to be peacemakers, we have to understand where the war started. If you go all the way back to the book of Genesis, right after the fall, God lays out the curses in chapter 3. In verse 15, God puts enmity between the serpent's offspring and the woman's. That is the start of the spiritual conflict Paul talks about in Ephesians 6.  

Then you hit verse 16, and we see the start of relational brokenness between husbands and wives. Then you get to verse 17, and God tells Adam that by the sweat of his brow he will make his food. Now we have conflict between us and nature. If you want to understand conflict with nature, just live through a Florida summer. Our garage air conditioning unit literally worked itself to death this week, flooded the whole garage, and died. That is conflict with nature.

Everywhere we look, no matter how close two people should be, there is conflict. Why? Because sin is the root of the mess. There was no conflict before sin. My daughter Kayla loves to think that all animals are her friends, but right now, lions eat lambs because the world is broken. If we want to bring peace to our lives, we have to stop being surprised by the conflict. It is the natural state of a fallen world.

The Challenge

We constantly get frustrated because we expect a pre-sin reality in a post-sin world. When the AC breaks or an argument flares up, our natural reaction is shock and anger, as if things are supposed to be perfect.

Action Step

When you hit a point of friction today—whether it's mechanical, relational, or spiritual—catch yourself. Acknowledge the brokenness of the situation, and instead of reacting with anger, ask God for the patience to be the one who brings peace into that specific moment.

Day 3: Stepping In While They Are Yet Sinners

The Rundown

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Jesus is the ultimate, perfect example of a peacemaker. Isaiah 9 calls Him the "Prince of Peace." But understand this: if Jesus never leaves glory, if He never leaves the comfort of the Father to enter into this flesh-and-blood mess, we never have peace. He left peace to step into conflict, ultimately being murdered on a cross, to rid the world of sin.

Here is where it gets incredibly convicting for us. Romans 5:8 says that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. How many of us are willing to enter into the conflict before the conflict is resolved?

I’ve done a lot of marriage counseling, and I can tell you exactly how most marriages operate. It’s a standoff. The husband says, "Well, if she would just stop doing this, then I would change." The wife says, "Well, if he would step up, then I would do that." You know why there is no peace in that house? Because no one is willing to step into the mess while the other person is still messing up.

Jesus didn't wait for you to get your act together. He didn't put stipulations on His sacrifice. A true peacemaker looks at the conflict and says, "Regardless of whether or not they change, I will do what I am supposed to do, because I only have to give an account for me."

The Challenge

Look at your relationships. Where have you placed a "stipulation" on your obedience, your grace, or your forgiveness? You cannot control your spouse or your kids, but you can control your own obedience.

Action Step

Drop the standoff. Think of a relationship where you are waiting for the other person to change first. Step into that conflict with grace today, while the mess is still happening, just like Christ did for you.

Day 4: Peace Demands Truth

The Rundown

John 3:19 (ESV)

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

Romans 1:25 (ESV)

"...because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

If conflict is the result of sin, then peace is the consequence of truth. Let me be as blunt as I can: you want to be a peacemaker? You have to live a truthful life. And that starts with being honest with yourself.

No one in this world has lied to you more than you’ve lied to yourself. In my mind, I have a full head of thick hair, a flat stomach, and I can still lay on a bench and throw up 450 pounds. In reality? Debbie takes a picture of the back of my head and I put a hat on, and the bar at the gym could probably tear something in my chest.

The fake you is amazing. The fake you doesn't struggle with pride, or a temper, or baggage. But the fake you is also crushing everything in your life, because you cannot fix a problem you refuse to admit exists. John 3:19 says that people loved the darkness rather than the light. Back in my patrol days, I loved working the night shift because that’s when all the action happens—people feel like they can hide in the dark.

We love the dark. We love to exchange the truth of God for a lie. But a lie will never bring peace. You can't make peace on a foundation of dishonesty. You have to bring your real, broken self into the light.

The Challenge

Stop living in the darkness where your pride is safe but your soul is exhausted. The fake version of you is standing in the way of real peace.

Action Step

Kill the fake you today. Identify one sin, struggle, or reality in your life that you have been hiding in the dark. Confess it to God right now, and find one trusted brother or sister in Christ to confess it to this week. Drag it into the light.

Day 5: The Ministry of Reconciliation

The Rundown

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV)

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us."

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."

Paul writes that God reconciled us to Himself, and then handed us the "ministry of reconciliation." Another word for reconciliation is peace. Paul says that because of this, we are ambassadors for Christ.

If I'm a brand ambassador for Mercury outboard engines, everywhere I go, I'm telling people how great that engine is, how fast it gets my skiff on plane, and how that warranty is unbeatable. If we are ambassadors for Jesus, how much more should we be telling people about the peace we've experienced? About how He took a screw-up and made them blameless?

But being an ambassador means living it out in the daily grind. Not long ago, someone nearly ran me off the road into a lake. I sped up, cut around them, and got in front of them—only to realize I was rocking our school’s bumper sticker on the back of my Explorer. And I thought, Man, what kind of brand ambassador is that? You can lose someone for Jesus for the rest of their life because you couldn't stand being stuck behind a guy with a trailer.

We are called to confront lies with truth, but we are called to do it with a spirit of gentleness. A peacemaker enters into the conflict to bring truth to those who are far from Jesus.

The Challenge

You are an ambassador for Christ in your home, at your job, and in traffic. Does your life point people toward the peace of Jesus, or does it start more unnecessary wars?

Action Step

If you want different, do different. Embrace the boldness and courage to enter into at least one conflict this week. Have that hard conversation, confront the lie with truth, but do it with the gentleness of someone who knows they were saved by grace. Go make peace.