Peace Makers and Peace Takers

Duane Vander Klok

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow in His footsteps. Specifically, we are called not to conform to the things of this world, but instead to His image. Jesus came, lived, died, and rose again so that we may be Godly examples to the world around us. Specifically, Jesus called us to be peace makers, not peace takers.

The world is filled with critiques, arguments, and bickering about every issue under the sun. We have created a culture of ‘it’s all about me.’ This mentality and action does not bring peace to life, but instead takes it away. It robs the joy and the peace from any situation, large or small.

We are called to something, or rather someone, greater. Jesus is calling us to raise the bar in our lives. We are called to set new standards of living in the world that we are in right now. We are not called to look at others and think, “if only they did…”, but instead look into our own lives and take accountability in every area that we interact in.

This week, let’s pause and ask God to reveal if we are ‘peace takers’ or ‘peace makers’. Before we react to any situation facing us, large or small, let’s pause and look at the bar that Jesus has set. Let’s ask, “how can I bring joy to this situation, even if everyone else is trying to take joy away.”