Everyday Heroes: Peacekeepers

Seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:14, 1 Peter 3:11 (ESV)

Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Ephesians 6:15 (NKJV)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

Everyday heroes live as peacekeepers. A peacekeeper is 'one that preserves or promotes peace' (American Heritage Dictionary).

Where? In hostile, tense, or strange situations, and trouble is the likely conclusion.

Such as?

  1. Jesus– amidst a group of angry men, rocks in hands to stone an adulteress.

  2. Jesus– surrounded by a hometown mob, pushing to toss their Neighbor from a cliff.

  3. Jesus– with a Samaritan woman, a flagrant sinner, standing at a well.

  4. Jesus– questioned by a Roman ruler, being pressured to sentence Him to death.

Jesus Personally demonstrated four need-to-know peacekeeping strategies:

  1. Pause, pray, and redirect the attention of a mob through indisputable truth.

  2. Walk directly through the darkest places (or people) knowing that God is with you.

  3. Find common ground with an outcast, loner, or enemy. Offer understanding..

  4. Hold your peace. Don’t cast your pearls before swine. Expect God to turn all things for the good.

Remember this verse:

'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid' (John 14:27).

The peace of God IS a lifesaving gift. Because God owns it, no one can steal it. But He allows YOU to share it (or not). The Spirit will direct you at all times.

As surely as the Preacher paused to pray, when He 'Stooped down and wrote on the ground with His Finger' (John 8:6), Christians should also take a pause to pray when all types of trouble travel their way. 

He’ll provide the winning response in the midst of Satan-powered mayhem.

Everyday Heroes: Peacekeepers (Part 8)

1) John 8:1-12 NKJV - Jesus the Light of the World - But - Bible Gateway

2) Luke 4:16-31 NKJV - Jesus Rejected at Nazareth - So He came - Bible Gateway

3) John 4:4-42 NKJV - But He needed to go through Samaria. So - Bible Gateway

4) Matthew 27 NKJV - Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate - Bible Gateway

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban