OPINION —
The world in which we live is broken because of conflict and disagreement. It was no different in the first century when Jesus walked the Earth and encouraged his disciples to be peacemakers. Surely the living Christ wants his people to take seriously his words spoken in the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
Daily the news reminds us of the devastating consequences of conflict. Serious, divisive conflict is everywhere — within families, in the church and in the world. How, in such a world, can a Christian obey Jesus by living as a peacemaker?
Since God is our heavenly Father, let’s consider how an earthly father can assume the role of a peacemaker. When the children in a Christian father’s family are estranged, God expects that father to become a peacemaker.
To do that effectively, he must keep in mind that his goal is unity and harmony, not control; he cannot achieve peace by demanding it. He must always remember that Christ alone can bring about life-changing reconciliation with family members. He must call upon the ultimate Peacemaker, Christ, to fill his family members with His peace as he melts their hearts in repentance.
When a father turns to Christ for help, he will guide him to pray earnestly for children to “own” their part in a troubled relationship, be led by the Holy Spirit to repent, and seek reconciliation. The father’s goal is to influence his children to obey God’s command to forgive one another and love one another.
The wise father will seek the Lord’s help to approach his children with love, not criticism. He will find it helpful to approach each child personally before inviting all of them to meet together with him.
Before confronting a child in love, a father will want to “bathe” his mind with scriptures that will comfort him and strengthen his resolve to become the peacemaker that God wants him to be. Here are some helpful scriptures:
Psalm 103:13 — “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” God expects fathers to offer their children compassion just as He offers His children compassion.
Exodus 20:12 — “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” There is no age limit to the biblical command to honor our parents. Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ — which is the first commandment with a promise — ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’”
Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” A wise father will believe his Lord Jesus will bless his prayers for his children to be reconciled.”
Philippians 4:6 — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” A father trusting Jesus can refuse to worry or be anxious because he knows that his heavenly Father wants his children reconciled even more than he does.
There are verses of scriptures that a father can share with his children to help them see God’s pathway to peace. He will want to share these verses with a loving attitude, reminding his children how much these scriptures have helped him with his attitudes toward others:
Ephesians 4:32 — “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Matthew 6:14-15 — “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Colossians 3:13 — “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 — “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 1:10 — “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
Galatians 5:22 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness….”
Having shared scriptures like these, a father can conclude with a prayer, affirming his love for his child and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the child to live as a peacemaker in all their relationships. He could conclude by affirming this verse as the one that best expresses his desire for himself and his family:
Colossians 3:14 — “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Blessed is the father who is called a son of God because he takes seriously his role as a peacemaker.
