“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”-Romans 12:18
One wonderful attribute of the fruit of the Spirit, of God working in the life and through the life of a Christian, is peace. Jesus gives true peace (John 14:27), and we are to now pursue peace with our neighbors. Seeking to live in peace with everyone is a beautiful goal, but it isn't easy. Our own brokeness trips us up much in this regard. And let’s not forget that there is a spiritual battle at hand. Satan hates God and His people. He hates the real peace that Christ offers, and he despises God’s people persevering in peace with one another. The enemy is always trying to cause disunity. Remembering this is crucial.
As Christians, we have clear instructions, for our good, to always work toward peace with all people. Again, Romans 12:18 says, “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” A couple of verses before this passage puts it like this: “Live in harmony with each other” (Romans 12:16). In Romans 14:16 we read, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” God, speaking through Paul, is obviously emphasizing the vital significance of our efforts to stay unified in Christ. No doubt about it, it takes intentional energy, through Christ alone who gives us strength, to successfully maintain peace with one another.
How do we do our part to live in peace with others? Here are 3 ways, all coming from Ephesians 4:2:
1. Be humble and gentle toward one another. Pride in any of us quickly destroys harmony. Pride is about “me first", about having our way. Humility, on the other hand, thinks of others, recognizing that everyone is a child of God and therefore has significance. Harsh words disrupt unity so readily. Applying gentleness in conversations promotes peace. We aren't to ignore real issues; we're to deal with all issues as Christ does, with humility and gentleness.
2. Be patient with one another. Is God not utterly patient with each one of us? He is patient beyond measure! How powerful that we remember this, and in turn, offer the same forbearance in all relationships.
3. Be one who is quick to make allowance for others’ faults. We will all, because of our sin, hurt one another at some point with our words and actions. At times we hurt another intentionally. Often times we hurt someone unintentionally. If we have been the offender, and we know it, we must speedily seek forgiveness and reconcilliation. Let's remember that many times someone may not even know that they offended us. May we all give one another the benefit of the doubt, thinking the best of each other. For each of us individually, how key that we remember just how amazing God is in bearing with our faults, which are many!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, following God’s lead, may we all give much grace to each other. This honors the Lord! Let’s keep fighting for peace with one another. It matters.
Godspeed, friends!
-Scott