2003-05-30
Good Morning Cherished Ones,
I’m led today to examine MT 5: 9, “Blessed are those who work for peace; God will call them His children.” The subject here is not people with a peaceful disposition or those who love peace. God is referring to those who actively intervene to make peace. The natural approach is to watch strife from the sidelines. The divine approach is to take positive action toward creating peace, even if it means putting up with danger and abuse. Once again we see an example of the truth of GA 5: 16-17. “What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. The two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.”
To those of you who opposed President Bush’s foreign policy decisions, I will apologize for sounding political ahead of time. However, I must express what is in my heart at this difficult time of war. The moment the events of 9-11-01 happened, we were at war. This war was against the evil of Al Qaeda, those who harbor terrorists, other governments that do evil against their own people with their terrorism. For many years now, the US has observed the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and seen just how willing it is to commit atrocities against its own people, most especially the Kurds living in the northern part of that country. Our president and those whom he has as his advisors are people who are unashamed to express their real faith in God. I’ve been on the Presidential Prayer Team since G.W. Bush took office and have seen through that source and many others what is foremost on the minds of these American leaders and their allies in the coalition, particularly Britain. Each day, these people go on their knees to God to ask for His guidance, wisdom, and protection. The situation in Iraq could do nothing but deteriorate without Coalition intervention, something that other countries in the UN simply couldn’t see. Saddam clearly had plans to use chemical and biological weapons on anyone who stood in the way of his plans. There is compelling reason to believe that materials were being purchased that would one day (much too soon) give Iraq nuclear capability. The peacemakers of the coalition after appealing to God for His guidance made the decision to invade Iraq, not with the intention of taking over that country permanently or to kill innocent Iraqi citizens, but to remove the evil regime and its stranglehold over that country. America and its allies are intervening to bring a real peace to Iraq and remove the threat to the rest of the world, Israel and America included, that Saddam’s regime posed. All of Saddam’s activities were being carried out at the expense of innocent Iraqi citizens; the situation simply had to be reversed.
Through the prophet, Isaiah, God speaks to us regarding His will on war. IS 2: 4 [KJV], “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Peace between people is God’s will, and Saddam has no peace in his agenda. From the very beginning, President Bush made it clear that the US has no plan to do any more than to help the Iraqi people set up their own government and turn over Iraqi to their self-determination. Yes, there are lives on both sides lost in this effort, some of them innocents. But, there simply was no other choice, if God was to be obeyed.
I cannot help but think of the story from Daniel of the king’s giant statue dream in Daniel 2. The sad truth is that non-believing mankind has a wicked and deceitful heart. Only God can transform that heart inwardly by the renewal of person’s mind [RO 12: 2]. Nothing that mankind can do will accomplish that. Christ has told us in JN 14 :6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” The statue in Daniel in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented all the human kingdoms that had been set up in history. DN 2: 34-35 tells the truth of their eventual fate. “While you were looking at it, a great Stone broke loose from the cliff without anyone touching it, struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, and shattered them. At once the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold crumbled and became like the dust on a threshing place in summer. The wind carried it all away, leaving not a trace. But the Stone grew to be a Mountain that covered the whole earth.” That capital “S” and “M” aren’t typos. That Stone is the same “Stone of stumbling” mentioned in PS 118:2, IS 8: 14-15, and 1 PET 2: 7-8. It represents Jesus Christ, Who will eventually replace all human kingdoms with His eternal one where believers will rule as joint-heirs with Him. These are the blessed peacemakers who will inherit His Kingdom, and I hope each of you and I are in that number.
PRAYER: O Lord, in MT 5: 9, the second phrase reads, “God will call them His children.” We pay attention to that, because You have adopted us as Your children. You have shown us this in the following two passages. JN 1: 12, “Some, however, did receive Him and believed in Him; so He gave them the right to become God’s children.” RO 8: 14-17, “Those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, ‘Abba! my Abba!’ God’s Spirit joins Himself to other spirits to declare that we are God’s children. Since we are His children, we will possess the blessing He keeps for His people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for Him; for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share His glory.” We stand grateful for You calling us to faith, for Christ’s death on the cross, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and for the hope we who believe have of a life of joy and eternal fellowship with You in Your Kingdom. Our own words are inadequate to express the thanks we feel for these and so many other blessings You give us each day. As sinners, we know we are hardly perfect, but we confess those sins to You and ask for Your forgiveness. HE 10: 10 & 17 give us assurance that Christ’s Atonement has provided that forgiveness and that You will also forget our sins. We dedicate ourselves to striving to live in a Christ-like way which will please You. As we come before Your throne today, give us the power and endurance to be the kind of peacemakers that You want us to be. We believe in Your power, Your ultimate justice, and Your righteousness. We plead with You to give us Your wisdom, guidance, and protection in the carrying out of our county’s war against terrorism; we look to You to grant us eventual victory in Christ’s name. You deserve nothing less than our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and praise. We offer these things to You in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
The Spirit leads me to discuss MT 5: 10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!” Christ makes it quite clear who will inherit the Kingdom. The lifestyle required in Sermon on the Mount is meant for today, right here in our lives on earth. Of course, it will also apply to our heavenly lives as well. Is it impossible? Not for people who have faith in Jesus Christ! The only ones who can’t live it are those who reject Christ. Believe it; we can live as Christ is telling us to do. It simply takes acceptance of the love our awesome God has for us and a willingness to be trusting, faithful, and obedient to Him at all times. Our loving God roots for us to be victors over evil in Christ’s name. Christ has taught us to love one another, as He loves us. We can do it! Peter and I send each one of you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn