This Beatitude brings to mind a picture of an active intermediary between two people that are at enmity. Perhaps angry words had been spoken and there is tension in the air. Then another person who loves them both, takes the risk of causing a bigger blow up, reaching out to pursue peace and reconciliation between them. He helps them see how they have hurt each other and encourages each of them to take responsibility for their own mistakes. Furthermore, he pleads with them to ask forgiveness and give forgiveness. He is a peacemaker.
Peacemakers are courageous because they cannot stand at the sidelines and watch people they love hurt each other. They have to take action—bold loving action—to intervene and keep the situation from escalating into evil bitterness. They run the risk of being misunderstood, being seen as judgmental, and of causing more pain. But they see the greater risks at stake: broken relationships.
Peacemakers are blessed—happy and contented—because they are aware of how lost and without hope they were before God lavishly forgave them. They are grateful for the peace made possible by the infinitely valuable sacrifice of Jesus. They are willing to make sacrifices themselves to heal relationships—and they are blessed.
Tom Day
James, writing this letter to believers, is making the point that faith without works is dead and he shows it by using the demons as an example. The demons believe that there is a God but that belief in God does not help because it’s not a real faith and it is shown by their lack of works that go along with it. You can’t see one’s faith, so it is best demonstrated by their works.
I had a friend that would always tell me “I have faith, I have faith. I believe there is a God and I believe in Jesus Christ.” That’s all well and all, but it was hard to believe they had a real faith because I was not able to see their works. It’s important that our faith lines up with our works. That’s what James is trying to drive home to us today. Without our works, it’s hard for our faith to shine through. Demonstrate your faith by your works.
I’ll show you my faith by my works.
Joshua Navarro
The promises of God are words of glorious hope to the believer. For the Christian who is suffering, God’s promises are tangible truths that are held ever so tightly to the heart.
In the 31st chapter of Jeremiah, we find God’s people enduring life as captives in exile. Their physical circumstances got the better of them and they turned their ears away from God’s prophet, lost sight of hope, and began to doubt the honor of their Lord.
In loving compassion, God described the future that He had planned for them. A future filled with true satisfaction in Him. The priests, whose souls longed for the Lord and for His people to turn their hearts back to their God would be satiated; drenched in the abundance of God’s grace. The people would once again look to their Maker and would find genuine satisfaction as they basked in the goodness of the Lord.
Today, let’s firmly decide to base our future on the beautiful reality that God is good. In confusing times, don’t turn away, rather, run towards Him. Only in the Lord will true satisfaction be ours.
Jeff Deal
Why is it important to know the full counsel of God’s word you might ask? Because every word of God is flawless. We like to operate off of feeling, instinct, and the counsel of man, but all of those things don’t offer you the promise that God’s Word does. When we operate under God’s truth, we protect ourselves under the shield of God where ultimate safety is found. Sure there may be some times where it doesn’t “feel” or “look” safe to us, but God’s promises aren’t understood through feeling, they’re understood by faith applied through trust and obedience. Without knowing God’s Word, it’s hard to trust and obey what you don’t know. So spend some time today searching the flawless Word of God!
Pastor Jason Witt
Darkness and light. These descriptive words are woven throughout scripture. They are more than metaphors; they represent two separate kingdoms that are in opposition to one another. These are the kingdom of the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and that of “the rulers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). Spoiler alert: The Kingdom of God has already won!
We have been set free from the kingdom of darkness. This is what our Savior Jesus Christ has accomplished for us in His life of perfect obedience, His sacrificial death, and His resurrection to life. Believer, you and I now belong to the realm of light.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that not only did we once walk in darkness, but we were also darkness. Now, with Jesus, we not only walk in the light, we are light in the Lord as He has come to live within us. How we live life today is our free choice. Let’s live each moment letting His uncovered light radiate in all that we do.
Jeff Deal
As Paul writes to the churches in Galatia, who were being persuaded by false teachers to trust in the law and their works rather than in the grace of God alone, he reminds them of how well they were doing before they began to listen to these false teachers. He writes to them, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
They were running the race of faith so well, with their eyes on the grace of God. They were loving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, and not criticizing each other. Then the legalists came, saying, “Oh you’re a Christian? Are you keeping the law? Have you been circumcised? Are you praying three times a day? Do you tithe of all that you have? Well, if you’re not, you can’t really call yourself a true believer.” They hindered the new believers from obeying the truth of God’s word.
We are saved by grace, not by works; it’s a gift we have been given by God. So stay in the race, live by the grace of God, and as you obey the truth, you will finish well.
Pastor Doug Hardin
I am going to wager when you first gave your life to Jesus the first thing you heard wasn’t, “Great! Get ready for tribulations that Jesus has promised!” It isn’t the most appealing thing to anyone, but for us as Christians it really should be.
A tribulation is a cause of trouble or suffering, yet Paul says that we should glory or boast. That would be completely crazy if we did not have the follow up knowing what these tribulations produce in us. What tribulations has the Lord placed before you that you get to glory in today?
Resting in Him,
Pastor Sean Boehm
The Apostle Paul is asking his friend Philemon to forgive a runaway slave named Onesimus. The exact details are not given to us but it would seem Onesimus robbed his master Philemon and then ran away to Rome hoping to hide in the big city. In Rome, Onesimus meets Paul, who is currently being held as a prisoner, and becomes Paul’s disciple. Paul then writes this letter to his friend Philemon and instructs his new disciple Onesimus to carry the letter home to his Master and ask for forgiveness. The letter contains five reasons for Philemon to forgive Onesimus.
In the verse above, this fifth plea is for forgiveness. Paul suggests that God is using Onesimus’ mistake, his sin of running away, for a greater purpose. Paul made a similar statement in Romans 8:28, “we know that all things work together for the good of them who love God…” Never forget that God is bigger than our mistakes. We must never sin assuming God will be lenient, that would be foolish (Romans 6:1). Rather when we sin, we must be quick to confess and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9). But once we have confessed and asked for forgiveness, we must be confident that God has forgiven us and can even use our mistakes for His glory. How like our God to have good plans for us, even when we are at our worst. Knowing this makes me want to love Him and obey Him all the more.
In awe of Him,
Pastor Rod Harris
You have to admire Job’s integrity and firm resolve to remain faithful even though he felt everything was being stripped away. He even goes to the extreme of saying, “As God lives,” which is like inviting God to kill you if you weren’t telling the truth. We need to remember that Job is making this commitment prospectively. He doesn’t know what the future holds but he’s committing today to walk in integrity tomorrow. We should take some time today and sincerely commit to the Lord, because we are here for the “long run” no matter what comes our way.
As long as I have breath,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
Psalm 95 focuses on the last lessons the nation Israel had learned and seeks to apply them in the present tense. Our verse this morning declares the glorious truths that God is our God, we are His sheep, and we’re cared for by Him in His pasture. Yet one lesson from the past was that God’s sheep did not always listen to the words of the Shepherd and found great difficulties in the process. If we would heed His direction, we could avoid unnecessary suffering and setbacks and discover instead the life and joy that following God’s counsel, His voice, would bring.
What has God been speaking to your heart lately? Are you responding or just turning a deaf ear? Today if you will hear His voice…
Seeking to hear and respond immediately,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
