Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.(Matthew 5:1-2)
Jesus teaches the crowds at Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they, will be called children of God.”
When I read what Jesus taught here, my thoughts go directly to the many claiming that they are his followers – even nations and their leaders – who wage war, encourage it, and condone killing. They never speak of God or Christ when they have their war paint on. Hypocrites! They look stoned-faced and cold-hearted.
I have serious issues with persons like this. They make a pretense at being godly. They speak of being godly but their hearts are evil. What is worse, they become offended if you do not buy what they are selling. This is what the god of this world social engineers: haters, liars, warmongers, and murderers. Children of the Devil.
Yet, if we are the types not to rush to war and hurting others and prefer peaceful relations among all, we will be called children of God.
We do not allow ourselves to be drawn into the thinking of the world. We do not allow ourselves to be swayed by popular or majority opinion in matters that lead to war, destruction, and harming others. The decisions by the leaders of nations to go to war or do things that cause loss of life and further divide people are not the acts of children of God. Yet, people pay lip service about who they are or what religious groups they are members of. In God’s eyes, those things mean nothing. While we may self-serve and self-title ourselves and call ourselves children of God, God will not recognize those types of persons as such. Neither will our Master, Christ Jesus. (Matthew 7:21-23)
We want to be children of God.