Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:18 NIV
Peacemakers Who Sow
Canada’s military warned last December that Canada has reached “historic lows” for personnel assigned to United Nations operations with the situation likely not improving anytime soon. A lack of funding and not enough military personnel is behind the drop, according to the latest statistics outlined in the Department of National Defence’s results report. The report stated, “Deployed CAF members to UN Peacekeeping operations have been numerically declining since 2005 and have reached historic lows with only 22 CAF members deployed on UN Peacekeeping operations.”
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Conflict is one of the most destructive results of sin entering into our world. Wars often begin in the heart, and fueled by media and powerful forces, the result is usually the death of countless young men and women, the suffering of innocents, and the destruction of property, fortunes, and dreams. I often wonder what the world would look like if wars hadn’t happened – if we were all left to live our lives in peace. That is, of course, the goal of the Kingdom of God. And those of us who are citizens of God’s other-worldly Kingdom are called to be peacemakers as we live out Biblical principles. James 3:18 puts it this way: “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” In a world of conflict, personal and globally, Christians are called to bring the peace that Jesus alone provides for the human heart. It is easy to throw gas on the flames of bitterness, anger, and conflict, but that is not what citizens of the Kingdom of God are called to do. We are, instead, to sow peace and by so doing, introducing to others the righteousness of Christ.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley