Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

• John 16:33

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.

• Deuteronomy 20:10-12

Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peacewith me.”

• Isaiah 27:5

Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

• Matthew 5:9

“There is no path to peace by way of security. For peace must be risked. Peace is the opposite of security. Demanding security means having mistrust, and this mis­ trust gives birth again to war. Seeking security means wanting to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself totally to the commandment of God, wanting no security. It means in faith and obedience to almighty God placing the history of the nations in God’s hands and not selfishly wanting to control it oneself. Battles are not won with weapons but with God....
How does peace come about? Who can issue the call to peace so that this world will hear it, indeed will be forced to hear it, so that all nations have to be happy about it? Individual Christians cannot do it. While all others keep silent, they may well raise their voices and bear witness, but the powers of the world can silently walk away. The individual church can also bear witness and suffer-oh, if they would only do that-but they too are overwhelmed by the power of hate. Only the one great ecumenical council of the holy church of Christ from all the world can say it so that the world must grit its teeth, hear the word of peace, and make the nations happy, because the church of Christ in the name of Christ takes the weapons out of the hands of their sons and daughters and forbids them to fight, and calls out the peace of Christ over the raging world.”

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You (devotion for September 8, devotions compiled from his writings)

I have heard it said many times over that there are few people who are not peace lovers, but it is a rare person indeed who is a peace maker.  Then again, each of us must make our peace with God.  It is costly.  We become His.

Notice that God told the Israelites to offer peace and if they respond with violence besiege the city, but if they accept peace, they become your servants.

God’s ways are that of a pleasant and benevolent master, but it is the only way in which to make peace.

And as Bonhoeffer writes, peace is obtained when we turn our lives to Christ and lay down our arms.

When the other side of the argument is ready to fight to the death, that takes great courage, and it comes at great risk.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.