#GOFAMINTDailyDevotion Sun. 16/7/2017
16/7/2017 LESSON 7
BLESSINGS FOR THE PEACEMAKERS
Quarter’s Theme: CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE
Unit 2: Our Virtues (Lessons 5-9)
(RESPONSIBILITY MONTHS)
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 94, 302
Devotional Reading: ROM. 12:9-21
Topic For Adults
BE A PEACEMAKER
Topic For Youths
LIVE PEACEABLY
Topic For Intermediates
DON’T CAUSE QUARRELS
Scripture Lesson
REV. 6:1-4; HEB. 12:12-17; MATT. 5:9
MEMORY VERSE
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Matt. 5:9 (NKJV)
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 16/7/2017
Claim The Blessings Of Peacemakers
1 Jn. 2:28 – 3:3
When a Christian commits his life to peacemaking, all who know him will acknowledge that he is a child of God. It is not only human beings acknowledging him as a child of God; heaven also recognises him and marks him out to be a child of God. All the blessings that accrued to a child of God are made available to him. The blessings can only be appropriated if you know your right as a child of God. Such blessings include salvation and eternal life, deliverance from bondage of corruption into glorious liberty (Rom. 8:21), blessings of Abraham (Gal. 3:26), victory over the devil, etc. God Himself will be a shield and a protector both day and night; He will send peace and tranquility to us as we trust and obey Him.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: Peacemakers have access to the blessing that money can buy and to the one that money cannot buy.
PRAYER POINT: Heavenly father, please give me the blessings of peacemakers.
BACKGROUND
Jesus lived a peaceful life during His earthly ministration despite being persecuted and being hated for doing well. Jesus did not teach what He didn’t practice. This week’s lesson focuses on the need for Christ’s followers to live peacefully with all men. As we devote ourselves in faith to Jesus as brothers and sisters in love so must we live in peace with people within and without the fold.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: SATAN TAKES PEACE FROM THE WORLD (REV. 6:1-4)
Conflicts and wars are occurring at an alarming rate all over the world, many lives are being wasted; edifices and monuments of immense values are being destroyed; communal crisis and violence have become common events; crimes is on the increase in our society. Human efforts to resolve these conflicts have proved ineffective. All peace moves and diplomacy have not achieved the desired goals. The reason for the failure to achieve peace is clear from the passage read; conflicts, wars and crimes have a spiritual origin. The devil has been given power to take peace from the earth, so that people should kill one another. He goes about inciting one party against the other. Those being used by the devil are oblivious that they are being used by the devil; often they strongly believe they are just fighting for their rights. Even within the home, one member of the family is incited against another member.
PART 2: PURSUE PEACE (HEB. 12:12-17)
While many engage in conflicts in the pursuit of their rights, the Christians are commanded to pursue peace. Peace is elusive; unless one pursues it, with determination, one cannot attain it. As you try to live peaceably with men, Satan will induce them to fight. The psalmist says “My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace, I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war”. When we are faced with those who are bent on fomenting trouble, it is easy to give up making peace and become discouraged. A little effort at making peace and giving up if success does not come is not what God is asking for. We need to pursue peace; do all that lies in our power to be at peace with people. We may not have control over how the person we try to make peace with responds to our overture, but there is much we can do to toe the path of peace. It lies in our power to humble ourselves to seek to make peace with someone we offend or people who offend us. We have the power to forgive people no matter what they have done to offend us.
God puts in our hands, the responsibility of seeking to make peace between warring parties and to reconcile men with God. We need to spread the gospel of peace to those who have not known the Lord Jesus as their Savior. People are looking for peace, but must first find peace with God if they are to have peace with themselves and with God.
PART 3: BLESSINGS FOR PEACEMAKERS (MATT. 5:9)
Those who have devoted their lives to promoting peace are sometimes given recognition by the society. For example, Nobel Peace Prize is given every year to people of outstanding contribution to world peace. Besides human recognition, God recognises peacemaking Christians as His children. They are given the power and privileges of being His children. They are given eternal life, with a status equal to that of angels (Lk. 20:36); they are filled with the Holy Spirit who bears witness within them that they are children of God (Rom. 8:16); freed from the bondage of corruption and translated into the glorious liberty which is only for children of God (Rom. 8:21); they have full access to the blessings of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:26-29). They also enjoy a peace which passes all understanding.
CONCLUSION
God has reconciled us to Himself and has given us the message of reconciliation so that many more can come to the knowledge of His saving grace through us. We are to pursue peace with all around us, making peace between warring parties. As this is done God places His mark of recognition on the peacemaker as His child.
QUESTIONS
- Why does human efforts to achieve peace in the world often proves ineffective?
- How can a Christian achieve peace?
- Though a Christian may not have control over how his or her neighbour’s response to the move for peace, what power does such a Christian have?
- What is the responsibility that God has given to Christians towards warring parties?
- Mention the blessings for peacemakers.