We are going through Beth Moore’s Living Beyond Yourself study during bible study this time around. And I get so much out of the videos. The ones the past few weeks seem to have been perfect timing. This week was about peace and an opponent of that being discord. The bible says blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9
Peacekeepers and lovers of contention are both opposite than those.
Peacekeepers try to keep a false peace. They are the ones that hate confrontation and will do ANYthing to keep the peace. And specifically when there is a “false peace”, or where there is no peace to begin with. Imagine an abusive father and a protective mother and a wild child. The wild child does something insanely stupid and instead of confronting it as a family, the mother hides it from the father so Dad won’t get mad. She is using deceit to keep a peace that is not even there. Her motivation for “keeping the peace” is based out of fear. And yet, this attempt not only is keeping a false peace, it breeds even more of a lack of peace.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11
Lovers of contention love NOT having peace. They wake up wanting to pick a fight with someone. They soak in tension and thrive when people are bickering. Ever met someone like that? Yeah, I know someone like that and it’s not. fun. This person’s motivation for acting this way can be several reasons. First, they could just be miserable. They could just be so miserable inside that what’s on the inside comes out and they simply quarrel with anyone and anything that looks their way.
Another motivator is the need for power. Have you ever met a child that has realized the power of being a lover of contention? That child that can misbehave so much that the entire house of adults and children are controlled by whatever that child does? Yeah, I know someone like that too. Everyone’s attitude even is controlled by the child’s attitude. Power is a God-given thing. We are meant to influence those around us. But the less God-centered we are being and the more self-centered we are being determines whether we are negatively or positively affecting our environment.
The final motivator is simply a lack of discipline. All children realize the power mentioned above and use it to an extent. They test the boundaries and see how much power they do have with those around them. And when a child is not disciplined and taught how to behave and use power appropriately, the grow up to be lovers of contention. These people are so draining to be around are they not?
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
Now peacemakers. They are do-ers. They make peace. They don’t fix people, but they do confront people. The first step is to ask God to not take sides in the situation but to take over. They look to God to build walls where walls need built and take down walls where they need taken. Peace only comes with God’s authority.
I find that I can be quite a peacekeeper at times. I hate confrontation and I’d rather just ignore the situation than deal with it. And when I’m being a peacekeeper, that is when I find I have the biggest lack of peace. It tears me up inside when something is not right between me and another person and yet I still place peacekeeper and try to keep that false peace. I really need to learn to trust God and do things His way instead of trying to handle things on my own.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
All of that is what Beth taught, not me so I’m just passing info on. I highly suggest signing up for the online study here. It includes all the listening guides, homework, videos and even extra studies.
–And this is not a paid advertisement but a personal recommendation of a bible study.