Peacemaking is Hard. And Strange.

Drama, drama, drama.

Have you ever noticed how much we humans crave conflict? While conflict on the world stage creates fear, conflict closer to home -- say, on the internet, in our homes, and in our churches -- draws a crowd of onlookers. Some people create it on purpose. Some people will talk publicly about how much they "hate all the drama," but will then be the first to create it in some way, starting a fight over some insignificant thing, or publicly airing dirty laundry. And as human beings, we love it. Love. It. Why do you think daytime talk shows are so popular?

Maybe that's why Jesus called His people to aim for the opposite. "Blessed are the peacemakers," He declared in Matthew 5:9, "for they shall be called the children of God."

Make no mistake: the Beatitudes -- perhaps the most famous part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount -- are a direct call from God to be other than what our humanity wants us to do naturally. They are counter-intuitive to our sinful natures. And that's exactly what Jesus wanted. It's not natural to consider yourself blessed in your want or mourning. It's not natural to embrace meekness, in this hard world, as a strength that will inherit the Earth. And it's not natural, when our humanity craves conflict -- yet fears confrontation -- to become a peacemaker.

Because peacemaking isn't about avoiding conflict. It's not a passive thing to be a peacemaker. No, peacemaking is, in fact, all about confronting the agents of conflict, in seeing them as people loved by Christ, and in guiding them to understanding and (true) tolerance. Now, as an aside, I'm not talking about tolerance the way generally expressed by the World: what do they know, anyway? I'm talking about the ability to love in spite of differences, to find common ground to rise above conflict. Not to embrace sin, but to love anyway.

Peacemaking isn't easy, but we don't do it alone. Philippians 4:13 reminds us, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

It is in Christ we can find the will -- where it doesn't exist in ourselves -- to shake off our human love of conflict, and our human desire for complacency, and become a force for peace in a constantly darkening world. 

Ditch Your Resolution - Or Let God Give You Resolve?

Today is Ditch Your Resolution Day. If you made a New Year's Resolution, it's officially time to evaluate yourself on how you're doing and then... simply make the decision to keep ignoring it.

Now, I admit, I'm really not a "resolution" guy, for exactly that reason. I don't keep them. Maybe I'm lazy, or just unmotivated. Or maybe my resolution simply doesn't get to the real heart of whatever the problem is I'm trying to change.

Nevertheless, when we make that crucial decision to turn our lives over to Christ, we do so with the expectation that we will, actually, turn over our lives. This doesn't mean an overnight change. We don't kneel in prayer and rise Super Christian. Rather, the change is a process: God shows us things in our lives He wants us to strengthen, add, or remove in order to live better, fuller lives more worthy of His name (Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God").

But it isn't just a list He gives us, a collection of New Man resolutions. He doesn't simply ask you to change your life and then wait for you to do it.

Philippians 4:13 reminds us, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

God doesn't expect us to walk this world alone, yet when we decide to better ourselves -- be it a resolution to lose weight, or quit smoking, or get organized, we most often try to go it alone. And fail.

But 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So, if we're working to better ourselves to be better ambassadors for Christ, we can rest assured He will bless our efforts, if we ask only ask him.

Rather than ditch your resolutions, why not ask God to strengthen your resolve?