Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Ours is a tough, rugged, wicked world. Aggression, rebellion, violence, cutthroat competition, and retaliation abound. Not just internationally but personally. What is true in the secret council chambers of nations is also true behind closed doors of homes. We are stubborn, warring people.
"In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Servants, that statement will help us call a halt to the next pity-party we are tempted to throw for ourselves. We are not alone. Persecution has been going on for centuries.
Realistically, wrong treatment often comes upon those who do what is right. We who genuinely desire to serve others soon discover that being mistreated isn't the exception. It's the rule!
Quietly and calmly he put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "But Chuck, that wouldn't have been fair. That wouldn't have been very loving, either—now would it?"
"Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus said (Matthew 5:9). Interestingly, this is the only time in all the New Testament that the Greek term translated "peacemakers" appears. Maybe it will help us understand the meaning by pointing out first what it does not mean.
Let me urge you today to become, as Jesus said, "pure in heart" (Matthew 5:8). Think about what it would mean, what changes you would have to make, what habits you'd have to break...most of all, what masks you'd have to peel off.
Wow, Jesus said that! It is doubtful He despised anything among those who claimed to serve God more than hypocrisy—a lack of purity of heart. Did you notice what characterized the phoney Pharisees?
True servants are merciful. They care. They get involved. They get dirty, if necessary. They offer more than pious words. And what do they get in return? What does Christ promise? "They shall receive mercy."
"Blessed are the merciful," Jesus said. Mercy is concern for people in need. It is ministry to the miserable. Offering help for those who hurt...who suffer under the distressing blows of adversity and hardship.
The bottom-line question is not, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" but rather, "What are you becoming, now that you're grown?"
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