The Beatitudes (Part 7)
You don’t need a Colt Single Action Army revolver to make this happen
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9 (NET)
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We often think about peace being the absence of violence.
Yet that doesn’t quite cover the picture of shalom (Hebrew for “peace”).
Peace is also the presence of good.
It’s actually difficult work to remove violence and add good things.
Jesus (in Matthew 12) talked about casting out demons like a stronger man coming in and binding a strong man. Clearly talking about beating the Enemy and freeing prisoners from the bondage of sin.
This kind of work requires intention and action.
It doesn’t “just happen.”
Building a world of peace will require us to take intentional action. In other words, we must work to make peace.
Yes, the work is hard, but the reward for this work is also great: being called a child of God.
Of course, the work Christ did on the cross is what allows us to be children of God.
But the work we do as citizens of heaven can lead us to being called a child of God. Please notice the difference there. Salvation is not a works thing, it’s a grace thing.
Now, with that said, how do we make peace in our world?
Tame the earth.
Back in Genesis, God gave mankind a job: multiply across the earth, work it, and tame it. He gave us the Garden of Eden as our model, but the rest of the world was wild.
In our world, we look around at the wild chaos and tame it. Inject the good of God.
In other words…
Make peace.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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