“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 NIV
I have been writing a lot about peace lately and it mostly has been about having inner peace and keeping inner peace, but today I want to talk about peace that affects those around us. In his letter to the Romans, Paul is laying out the “good news” or the “gospel” for everyone. He talks about how Christians should live, love, worship, and interact with each other.
The Christians in Rome were not being persecuted at the time of Paul’s letter but these reminders of how to live as a Christian are always good to hear. In the 18th verse of Romans 12, Paul reminds them to live in peace. Paul is acknowledging that we can only control ourselves and not those around us, so Paul, in this command reminds us to be responsible and control ourselves.
Controlling ourselves consists of being willing to not be easily offended by things that others say or do around you. I am not saying to ignore wrong behavior, but be willing to pause long enough to not react immediately. In that pause, I believe it is important to ask God for guidance and direction about the situation you are facing at that moment. That pause also allows us to not jump to a reaction and possibly exhibit wrong behavior as well in that moment.
Sometimes living in peace can be hard. If we have been hurt, abused or traumatized, the idea of living in peace can feel harder still. I believe living in peace starts with being at peace inside ourselves. Once we are able to truly have inner peace then the idea of living in peace with others becomes less challenging. Thankfully, God is able to help us each individually with this, if we are willing to ask for that help.
Another part of peace is being able to love others in a genuine way, not the kind of love that is only a show. What I mean by genuine is that you love people the same whether there are others around to see it or not. We all know someone who society has deemed as “unlovable” or “hard to love”. As a Christian, when we should be showing them the same genuine love that we have been shown by Jesus.
Lastly, we are to forgive others and not hold grudges. This is also a part of peace. Forgiveness is not for the person who has offended you, it is for you! Whether the person who has offended you is worried about the offense or not, whether they are sorry or not, forgiveness has implications internally for you as the one forgiving. Hatred does not promote peace, it stops peace from occurring. As we let go of hatred, grudges and begin forgiving, peace will increase inside of us. When we are at peace inside then living in peace that is evident externally is much easier. After all, who are we to not forgive others when Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven.
Heavenly Father, please be with us today. I pray that whoever needs to hear this, hears it, myself included. As Your children we should want to walk in peace and live in peace with each other, so please help us to want that today. In Jesus’s precious name. Amen