Read Romans 12:9-21Romans 12:9-21
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Rules for Christian Living
9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.
10 Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.
11 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.
12 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
13 Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
14 ; . Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.
15 . When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad.
16 . Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. v Make friends with ordinary people: Or “Do ordinary jobs.”
17 Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,
18 and do your best to live at peace with everyone.
19 . Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,
“I am the one to take revenge
and pay them back.”
20 The Scriptures also say,
“If your enemies are hungry,
give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
on their heads.”
21 Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
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Love isn’t always simple. Relationships, both romantic and platonic, can sometimes take on the characteristics of a playground, while at other times they more closely resemble a battleground. The way the individuals in those relationships treat and respond to one another has a huge bearing on which venue is being occupied at any given moment. That is why it is imperative that we heed the sobering words of Romans 12:18Romans 12:18
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
18 and do your best to live at peace with everyone.
WP-Bible plugin closely:
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
In each and every relationship you are a part of, you have a direct mandate from God to do everything in your power to keep the peace. There is no relationship that you are in where you are exempt or “off the hook” from doing all that is humanly possible to keep things harmonious. As the verse says, “As far as it depends on you…”
Our tendency, however, is to hold a truckload of expectations over the head of the other party in any given relationship to make things peaceable for us! Because of our selfish, sinful natures, we easily get caught in the trap of thinking when conflict arises in a relationship, it is the other person’s duty to come to us first. ” I mean after all, haven’t they read they’re supposed to do everything in their power to live in peace with me?” Well, the truth is, no one is perfect, no not even you. We all make mistakes and we all must live in keen awareness of our fallibility. We must remain humble and apologize when we do wrong. We must also be quick to forgive others when they wrong us. After all, the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that mercy will be measured to us in the same manner that we offer it to others! (Matthew 6:12Matthew 6:12
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
12 Forgive us for doing wrong,
as we forgive others.
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However, in the course of this life, there are times when we forget or ignore our call to live in peace, and things go awry. Then we must do what is necessary to restore peace. If both parties in a relationship apply Romans 12:8Romans 12:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
WP-Bible plugin, things should be resolved quickly. But, unfortunately, circumstances sometimes do arise, where one or both parties are unwilling to take the initiative to seek and offer forgiveness…even among Christians. This grieves God’s heart.
So, to be blunt, if you are in a relationship where bitterness or division exists, stop waiting for the other person to come crawling to you. Go to them! And, if they have already come to you, and you haven’t already done so, forgive them! That is your part in “living at peace with everyone.” (You may not be able to humanly forget what happened, but with God’s help, you can forgive!) If you have already gone to someone and sincerely asked for forgiveness, but they are unwilling to forgive and resolve the matter, don’t lose another night’s sleep! You have done what God has asked you to do by humbling yourself and going to them to reconcile. You cannot be responsible for how the other person responds. Continue to pray for them and for God to bring peace and resolution to the matter, however. And, should God bring about a change of heart in them, be ever ready to accept their forgiveness and offer it in return, no matter how much time goes by.
Jesus died on the cross as a symbol of eternal peace-keeping between God and man. There was nothing He wasn’t willing to do to make amends, despite the fact He had done nothing wrong to us. As always, we are to follow His example. If Christ can forgive us for all the rejection and betrayal and disrespect and disloyalty and disobedience and defiance we’ve shown to Him, on what grounds can we justify not doing the same for others?
God is the Heart-Knower and Heart-Changer. Only He has the power to move you toward peace, and only He can move the other person in the same direction. Make sure your heart is not resistant to God’s prompting and leading in your life, and trust Him to do the same for all those whom you are blessed to be in relationship with as well.
Remain humble, proactive, and in a state of prayer. And, if you have done all that you can to live in peace with everyone, leave the rest in God’s hands and sleep well.
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