Peacekeepers vs. Peacemakers: Church Sign Wisdom in Tosa

This week, Underwood Baptist Church, which resides on the corner of 76th and Hillcrest in Wauwatosa, posted this on their church sign:

Jesus wants Peacemakers, not just Peacekeepers

It is a thought-provoking and interesting statement.  Immediately, it made me ponder what the difference is between the two.

The main difference lies in maker vs. keeper.  The term keeper suggests maintenance.  Once peace is established, keep it going.  Within the maintenance, there will also hopefully follow prevention.  Don't let the peace unravel into disharmony.

The term maker suggests that something is being created.  Out of material comes a building.  Out of chaos comes peace.  Maker suggests that someone is getting their hands dirty.  Where peace is not, peace is brought into being.  

The Peacemakers also make an appearance in the Beatitudes.  They are said to be blessed, and will be called children of God, according to Matthew 5:9.

Is one better than the other - certainly not.  But I think we are called to be both.  Peacekeeping alone merely calls us to a life of safety.  We don't want conflict.  We don't want anybody to get upset.  We don't want to allow for growing pains.

At any given time, we may not agree with the leaders of our country and how they approach or manage foreign relations.  We also may criticize foreign leaders and their policies.  However, we have to acknowledge that what they are tasked with, what they have taken on, is not easy.  These individuals aren't just attempting to repair a relationship between two people, but relationships between two or more nations.  They encounter language, cultural, religious, and many other types of barriers.  This work is not just desk work.  Their primary communication isn't email or texting.  These leaders go and meet with one another.  Our leaders go into places like Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan - and many other places that offer only a hostile greeting.  But they know they have to step into the fray.  Restoring and renewing relationships cannot be done passively.    

Repairing relationships between nations isn't even as big as it gets.  God constantly and tirelessly works on repairing the relationship between Himself and us, the world that He loves so dearly (John 3:16).  We can't number the amount of things we do to turn away from or strain that relationship.  But God loves us so much that He is willing to work on that relationship, no matter how much we push away.  He is a Peacemaker, who always enters into the chaos of our brokenness and continues the reparation process.    

God gave us an incredible role model in peace-making.  Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who provides the brand of peace that "surpasses all understanding."  We are called to go into the world on His behalf and to construct peace on this earth by sharing His love and by walking in His way.  

The words of Micah 6:8 provide good guidancee on how to live like the Great Peacemaker: Do justice. Love kindness.  Walk humbly with God.

I am also always brought back to Paul's words in Galatians 5 regarding the fruits of the spirit.  We can strive for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Through prayer and persistence, we can learn to walk in the way of the Prince of Peace every day.

~SP

A Little Wisdom from Mama Duggar

I genuinely admire, respect and love the Duggar family.  I have never had the pleasure of meeting them, but every once in a while they grace my TV screen.  Although we live out our faith in Christ somewhat differently on a day to day basis, the faith of their family inspires me.  Especially that of Mrs. Duggar.

I caught an episode the other morning, and I just wanted to share a word Michelle imparted to a women's Bible study group on the show.

She talked about what character traits she thought were most important to teach her kids as they were growing up.  She had a huge list, but asked the women in the group to identify a few which they thought would be the most important.

The women shouted out answers, like "self control," and "kindness."  Those did fall in Michelle's top few.  However, there was one that I didn't necessarily expect fell into her top three: attentiveness.

Now, attentiveness is a great quality!  If we had more attentive drivers on the road, we would probably have fewer fender benders.  If we were more attentive with our technology, we probably wouldn't let autocorrect get the best of us so often.

But Michelle put it like this on her blog: "It's important that when I call their names [in reference to her children], I get their eyes and have their attention...Because if I don't get their eyes, I don't have their heart."

Spiritually, we often talk about a connection between our eyes and our hearts.  Psalm 121:1 says "I lift my eyes to the mountains -- where does my help come from."  We look with our eyes, but we are also searching with our hearts.  Paul writes in Ephesians 1:18 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people."

When we give God our attention, when we look unto Him with our eyes, we are also able to lift up our hearts.  God desires our full attention.  He calls us to be on the lookout for ways we can share His grace with others, and to find the places where His light, His word, and His hope are needed most.  

Mrs. Duggar's words bring me back to one of my favorite hymns which goes:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

May we all choose to turn our eyes and our hearts to the One who created them, and the One who provides the light by which we see.

Amen.

~SP

Neither Height Nor Depth

Have you ever felt nervous entering a new environment?  Maybe it was a new church, college orientation session, your first day of high school...  And once you get the courage to speak up, you say something goofy.  Something you didn't mean to say.  Something that creates an unforgiving silence among the group.  You don't only do this once, you do it several more times.  You've dug yourself a hole, and you feel like there is no way you can recover from this.  You're doomed before you even begin.

Maybe there is a family member or a close friend, and as of late your relationship has been strained.  You don't call for a while.  Then they don't call for a while.  When you do see each other, bitter words are exchanged.  More and more time passes, and you are strangers.  You get a new phone and don't transfer their number.  They have their annual 4th of July bash, and you aren't invited - you only find out about it weeks later from a mutual friend.  How could you ever possibly restore the relationship with this person?

You say that you are going to stop.  You won't go near the temptation.  For some time, you are doing really well.  A lot of good days.  Then you are driving home, you pass the tavern on the corner that you have recently become a stranger to, and because work was tough today, you put on your turn signal and pull into the parking lot.  And this becomes the pattern the next few nights.  And weeks later, you find yourself sitting in that tavern, staring at the small shot glass that seems to have all the power, and you think to yourself this is it...this is how I will live out the rest of my days, however many there are left...

How far gone is too far gone?  Where can you go that is past the point of redemption?  Is there such a place?

I don't think so.

In the Bible, we know the story of Jesus' friend Lazarus.  Jesus is good friends with Lazarus, and both of his sisters Mary and Martha.  And when Lazarus falls ill, his sisters send word to Jesus.  They tell Jesus that His dear friend is ailing.  With minimal medical advancements at this time, the sisters and Jesus both know that Lazarus' prognosis is grim.  But Jesus doesn't rush to His friend's death bed.  Instead He tells Mary, who has reached out to Him, "This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God's glory, so that God's Son may be glorified through it." John 11:4

End is the key word here.  Jesus says Lazarus' sickness won't end in death.  This doesn't mean that He will not die - but that won't be the last chapter.

When Jesus enters Bethany, Lazarus' home, Lazarus has been dead for four days.  No pulse.  No breath.  His heart has not known a beat in almost 100 hours time.  Jesus has not entered Bethany to pay His respects to the deceased.  In fact, His disciples has previously urged Him not to visit at all.  They remind Him of His last visit, when people there met Him with anger in their hearts and stones in their fists.  But Jesus is there to call on His friend Lazarus.  And when Mary and Martha tell Jesus the location of Lazarus body, Jesus goes, and says "Lazarus, come out!"  And you know what?  Lazarus does!  Heart beating, blood circulating, lungs taking in air.  Lazarus was dead and is now alive again.

So here is the answer - no distance is too far.  Your heart can stop beating, and Jesus will still go into the depths for you.  There is no line you can cross where your Savior cannot trod and offer you a new, redeemed, resurrected life.

In this story of Lazarus, we encounter the briefest verse in the Bible. Despite its brevity, it manages to show the boundless, ceaseless compassion of the savior.  The verse simply says, "Jesus wept."  While Lazarus was gone, Jesus mourned for His friend.  He longed to be with Lazarus once again.  The story of Lazarus is the story of how Jesus feels about us when we attempt to separate ourselves from His love.  When we stray far away, or when we think we are too far, Jesus longs for us.  The beat of His heart aches for the murmur of ours.

So the story does not end in death, but in life.  New life.  "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 8:39

~SP