Living at Peace

Read Romans 12:18

This one little verse is so important to understanding our responsibility when it comes to living at peace. For many, living at peace seems so elusive, almost impossible to be sure. But when we come across Romans 12:18 in God's word we're reminded of our role in the peace process.

Paul writes 'if it is possible.' There's an implication that comes with this instruction. The implication is peace isn't always possible. But the command is 'as far as it is possible live at peace with one another.' This provides a second implication - that we have a responsibility up to a certain point to do what we can to live at peace with others.

Friends the truth is some people just don't want to make peace. For whatever reason, they choose to live in conflict. Maybe it's pride or maybe it's anger or maybe it's just this desire to make others pay for whatever pain they've experiencing. The truth is hurt people hurt people. Yet God doesn't want us willfully taking part in that process. He wants His children representing Him by living at peace with one another as far as it depends on us because this represents exactly who He is. God never asks us to do anything He's unwilling to do Himself. He is the ultimate peacemaker - doing everything possible to ensure we have access to peace with Him.

Listen, life is all about relationships. Our relationship with God and our relationship with one another. And since we're created to live at peace with God and each other, let's consider the peace we have with each. If you have never come into a peace relationship with God please consider Jesus. He is God's perfect expression of His love and peace for all of us. And what Jesus asks is that we make a decision to follow Him because without Him we're unable to experience a right and peaceful relationship with God the Father. For those of us who have peace with God, maybe for us we're at odds with someone else. So for us it's time we take this relationship to God in prayer asking Him what and how He wants us to do so that if it is possible, as far as it depends on us we can live at peace with one another.