The Path of the Peacemaker

Elder Kim B. Clark

President, BYU-Idaho

"This is the great latter-day work of bringing people to Christ. It is the work of peace."

"'Prophets have long known that the Abrahamic covenant was to be fulfilled only 'in the latter days.' That's our day! We are those covenant people!'" (Elder Russell M. Nelson)

"You are the children of the covenant, the children of promise; and you are heirs to all the blessings and all the commitments and responsibilities of Abraham."

"And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers...and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace..."

"A prince of peace (or a princess of peace) is a peacemaker. When you hear the word 'peacemaker,' it is natural, and very important, to think of a mediator, someone who calms troubled waters and helps people resolve conflicts and disputes."

"You may have already discovered that helping others resolve conflict depends on the application of gospel principles like love, kindness, forgiveness, and service. If you are faithful and prayerful in this work, the Holy Ghost will guide and strengthen you in applying these principles, and the Lord will work through you to bless the lives of His children."

"He has prepared for His children a deeper peace, the 'peace of God, which passeth all understanding.'"

"It is peace of conscience and peace of mind-a positive, deep, uplifting sense of well-being. It is a sweet, powerful feeling of total harmony with Heavenly Father, with our true spiritual identity, and with your brothers and sisters."

"Such peace is one of the sweet gifts of the Spirit."

"Heavenly Father wants you to walk in peace. He wants you to establish peace. He wants you to be peacemakers."

"'The consequences of conflict are so devastating that we yearn for guidance--even a way to ensure our success as we seek the path to peace...May I suggest three ideas to prompt our thinking and guide our footsteps:

1. Search inward
2. Reach outward; and
3. Look heavenward

("framework given to us by President Monson")

"The beginning of our study of the path of the peacemaker is our relationship with God the Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ."

 

 LOOK HEAVENWARD

D&C 19:23 "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me"

"Study carefully and to follow what He taught in verse 13 and 15-20 [D&C 19]"

"Wherefore, I command you to repent, and keep the commandments which you have received...lest...your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

"For behold, I God have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

"But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

"Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--

"Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

"Wherefore, I command you again to repent..."

"The path of the peacemaker is the path of faith in Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. It is the path of sincere repentance and whole-hearted obedience. It is the path of baptism for hte remission of sins, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and spiritual rebirth."

"Sin and wickedness and all the emotions that flow from them--are like a cancer in our spirit. There is no peace for the soul wounded by sin..the miracle of the Atonement is that we can repent and be healed. We can be completely rid of the cancer of sin, and we can find peace."

 "O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (The Savior)

"Through the power of the Atonement of Christ, we can be reborn of the Spirit, '[put] off hte natural man and [become] a saint,' 'humble,...submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering.' This is what it means to 'walk in the meekness of my Spirit.'"

"You shall have peace in me."

"'God wants each of His children to enjoy the transcendent blessing of peace of conscience...It provides a foundation for happiness...Peace of conscience can come only from God through a righteous, obedient life.'" (Elder Richard G. Scott)

SEARCH INWARD

"Peacemakers must also learn to 'search inward' to find peace of mind...Though we may have peace of conscience, those storms may rob us of peace of mind and hurt our ability to be peacemakers. But we can learn to 'search inward' and with the help of the Savior restore peace of mind."

"We keep the commandments and make progress in our journey of peace. But we encounter storms of life that bring uncertainty, anxiety, and stress."

"'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'" (The Savior)

"We know that things will happen to disrupt our peace of mind. We live in a fallen world, and things happen to everyone...We have learned that we have to choose to look into the mirror of Christ. It requires an act of both faith in the Lord the Lord jesus Christ and personal determination...We can choose hope and say, 'I am not going to look into the mirror of fear. I am going to fix my eyes on the mirror of Christ, trust the Lord, and act in faith."

"If you choose the mirror of Christ you authorize the Holy Ghost to minister to you. He will 'show unto you all things what ye should do.'"

REACH OUTWARD

"We cannot be at peace ourselves and we cannot be peacemakers unless we 'reach outward' to bring peace to others."

"'For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit to contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stireth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

"Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another, but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

"But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;'" (The Savior)

"I know it is not too hard for the Lord to help you be the Lord's peacemakers in the latter-days--even when the challenge may seem daunting."

"It is Satan who 'stir[s] up the hearts of men with anger,' and it is Christ the Lord whose doctrine it is 'that such things should be done away.'"

"The duty of the peacemaker is clear: do not start the ripple of scorn and ridicule; do not propagate it if you hear it; do not retaliate when people attack; help people resolve their differences and stop the network of contention and anger dead in its tracks. Stop it with acts of kindness and respect. Stop it with gentle humor or sweet reason. Stop it with love and prayer. Stop it with whatever means the Spirit of the Lord directs. But stop it; and then act in faith to help others find the deeper peace of God."

"'May our conversations with others always be marked by the fruits of the Spirit--'love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23) To...all who seek to know how we should respond to our accusers, I replu, we love them. Whatever their race, creed, religion, or political persuasion...we must...help them,...be an example for them...[and]pay the price of discipleship by answering [them] with Christian courage.'" (Elder Robert D. Hales)

"This is our calling. This is what the children of the covenant, the children of Abraham are and what they do: they reach outward to their brothers and sisters to bring peace that goes down deeper and deeper into the soul. There are different levels of peace, and peacemakers work at every level: they calm troubled waters, stop the network of anger and contention, and help their brothers and sister resolve conflicts; they bring love, hope and peace to people in need with kind words, a helping hand, and acts of service that lift and strengthen; and they help their brothers and sister find peace at its deepest level in the Lord Jesus Christ."

"President Monson has set for us a marvelous example of the peacemaker, and he has called us to be peacemakers...'Come back. We reach out to you in the pure love of Christ and express our desire to assist you and to welcome you into full fellowship. To those who are wounded in spirit our who are struggling and fearful, we say, Let us lift you and cheer you and calm your fears.'" (President Monson)

"When we do...we will bring the Spirit of the Lord into the lives we touch. We will help them come unto Christ...the only way to find the deep peace of God is through the Atonement of Christ...you can reach outward and help them find the deep peace of God by sharing with them the plan of salvation and the principles of the gospel. And you can extend that opportunity to people on the other side of the veil when you serve in the temples of the Lord...If they choose to listen and obey, they, too, will find the 'peace of God, which passeth all understanding.' This is the path of the peacemaker."

"This is the path we are called to walk:

• Look Heavenward: Act with faith in Christ to repent and keep His commandments.
• Search Inward: When storms come, look to the future in the mirror of Christ, choose hope and go forward in faith.
• Reach Outward: Stop the network of anger and contention, help people in conflict find common ground, lift and strengthen them with love and service, share the gospel, and help them come unto Christ.

"If you walk this path, you will be the peacemakers the Lord will use to gather scattered Israel, established Zion, and prepare the earth for His return."

"Through your faithfulness you will walk in peace with the Prince of Peace and you will become a peacemaker in His holy hands."