Romans 12:18 - Peaceable Living

Romans 12:18 - If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Message: Living peace

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

As I venture through life, I come to understand how people see life differently. People approach life in different ways. And sometimes these differences are hard to work through and accept. Again, as I have said before, as Americans, we are trained more and more in the idea of living in comfort at all times. Because of this, anything that causes discomfort is often rejected or targeted as unwelcome in our lives. But, as I read through scripture I do not see that comfort is our leading ambition in life. In fact, there are times when being not comfortable is completely necessary. Comfort is being me focused. We often have this attitude of wanting just a little bit more. We aren't satisfied.

This is another great verse. Paul approaches each of these verses with the idea that each person has a choice as to how they live day to day. And even in this verse, I see that he is saying that I am to do my part in helping people live at peace with one another. (Lord, how I am a great failure in this. My tongue and unmet expectations assault me continually; I don't get what I want and I get mad; I get hurt; I get ignored and my words are not appreciated; Lord, I am so weak and in need of your strength.)

Each day I often say I am to join in that prayer that I heard Andy Stanley voice, "Lord, I surrender to you...." When I surrender, I believe I allow or permit or invite the Spirit of God to reign in me. And I permit Him to enable me how to live. I change my life from myself being master over it to Christ being master over it. "Lord, I surrender to you, help me to accept what You provide." I acknowledge that God is in control of my life and what I am to do each day is empty myself and then allow God to work in my life and through my life and my response is then to accept what He provides. I may not understand it, but I need to accept it. Sometimes the hard part is how much I force control of the events of my life.  

With this verse, I am to do my best in living at peace with all men. 

Promise: From Tabletalk, September 19, 2014 - "The Lord calls us only to do what is ours to do, namely, to apologize when we offend people unnecessarily, to seek the well-being even of our enemies, and to make sure that we do not put up a stumbling block to living at peace with others. If we do such things, we should be confident that we have done what our Creator requires."