Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Peace Is Not My Jam

Making peace is God's jam!

You may be like me and you may say, "Making peace is not my jam!" I get it, believe me, I do. I can relate to that more than you know. When I take a "spiritual personality test" (you have heard of those right?) being a peacemaker is never listed as one of my strengths. Peace is not in my nature or my genes. I am from a family who loves to argue. We love a good debate. We love to be in control. Because of this it was such a struggle for me to understand that my way was not bringing peace. My way was causing division and hurting others.

Making peace is not my jam or your jam, it is God's jam. We all know good jam needs good fruit! Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears the fruit of peace in my life as I walk in the Spirit, as I am led by the Spirit and as I live in the Spirit (Galatians 6: 16, 18, and 25). In fact, all of the virtues mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 are the fruit of the Spirit. The word fruit is singular, not plural. Each of these virtues represent a part of that fruit. It is all a part of the jam! In other words, we do not have biblical peace without the other 8 virtues listed as a fruit of the Spirit.

Here is a great truth >> When it comes to the Holy Spirit, this is GOD ALMIGHTY offering us the resource of Himself for victory over the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. We get to choose whether we are going to walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

Depart from evil. This is just one reason why we know peace is not about compromise (see previous blog). We are commanded to turn from evil and do good. The phrase seek peace means to strive after it and to seek in order to find it. In seeking, we are to pursue it, or run after it. What are you chasing? We are all chasing something. In that relationship where there is a struggle, what are you chasing? Is your desire to be right? To be in control? Or even to have a particular relationship at all cost? When our desire is peace, it changes things. It changes the relationship.

We can choose to walk in the flesh, full or our own jam - chasing everything but real peace or we can walk in the Spirit full of peace that comes from God.

Practical tip # 1 on our journey to peace:

Sit still for 10 minutes with Psalm 34:14 open before you. Ask God to examine your heart. Ask Him, "Lord, what am I seeking? Control, compromise or peace?"