135 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: What Forgiveness Isn't

In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul tells us that “as God’s chosen people,” we are to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13) Having been forgiven by God, we are to extend forgiveness to others.

Dave DeSelmJuly 9, 2023peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliation, forgiveness, conflict, confessionComment

134 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Taking Care of the Plank

Jesus’ approach to peacemaking is to pursue reconciliation. There are three steps in that process that are important for us to understand and practice. The first step is confession.

Dave DeSelmJuly 2, 2023peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliation, forgiveness, conflict, confessionComment

133 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: The Slippery Slope of Conflict

While conflicts take place on a larger, collective scale, the bigger issue for most of us is the conflicts that take place on a smaller scale. Personal conflicts between work associates, friends, or even families.

Dave DeSelmJune 25, 2023peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliation, forgiveness, conflict, escape, attack, assault, withdrawal, suicideComment

132 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Walls of Hostility

Relational breakdown is as old as the Bible, and none is more deeply ingrained as the animosity that exists between people of different races, religions, and ethnicities.

Dave DeSelmJune 18, 2023peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliation, forgiveness, regeneration, John Perkins, racism, ethnocentrism, new identityComment

131 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Reconciled to God

One of the most daunting aspects of being a peacemaker is the challenge of peace-making in our own relational worlds. Our natural reaction to conflict is either fight or flight – punish or withdraw.

Dave DeSelmJune 11, 2023peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliation, reconciled to God, Team Adam, Team Jesus, forgiveness, salvation, justification, regenerationComment

130 Blessed Are the Peacemakers: They Shall Be Called Sons of God

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes two things: what life in the Kingdom of God is like, and what should characterize those who live in it. Specifically, He says that Kingdom people will be characterized as peacemakers.

Dave DeSelmJune 4, 2023forgive, peace, peacemaker, blessed are the peacemakers, reconcile, reconciliationComment

129 Christian Atheist: I Believe in God But Can't Forgive

We all know that Christians are supposed to forgive. Jesus said as much when He taught His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Dave DeSelmMay 28, 2023Christian Atheist, atheist, belief in God, inconsistencies, walk the talk, hypocrisy, hypocrites, knowing God, believing loyalty, forgiveness, forgive, forgive your enemies, Rwanda, genocide, Rwandan genocide, World ReliefComment

128 Christian Atheist: I Believe in God But Not the Church

One of the trends happening increasingly in recent years is a reduction in church attendance. People say they believe in God, but they’re not committed to a local church.