Heavy Lifting

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.  Matthew 5: 9

“Peacemaking is divine work, for peace means reconciliation, and God is the source of peace and reconciliation.  This is the same verb that is used when ‘God was pleased to reconcile Himself to all things… making peace by the blood of the cross.’” (Stott)

This is a comfort.  He does all the heavy lifting.  Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your Name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness.  It is His love and His faithfulness, not us.  Reconciliation gives Him pleasure, to all things, to such a degree that He was willing to pay the ultimate price.   Therefore I can rest assured that He will continue to pursue, continue to seek, continue to love and to be faithful. 

I read An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda) last night.  He was a peacemaker.  And it was costly.  But he saw no other options because of who he was: The son of his father and the lessons he had been taught, a son of a Hutu man and Tutsi mother and most of all: he was hotel manager and it was his role to take care of his guests.  

Thus, although peacemaking is costly, it is who we are. We are following in our Father’s footsteps and we shall be called the sons of God.