Right With God, Right With Man!
Once we realize that salvation is a free gift that we can never earn, it becomes a little easier to receive the redemptive work that Jesus Christ provides for us. We come into peace with God through receiving the finished work of Calvary. Being at peace with man might be a little more challenging. First of all: all men don’t have the heart of God. They are not as forgiving, and not as willing to live at peace with you. Second, it may be hard for us, in our flesh, to offer forgiveness and exert the spirit of reconciliation to our brother or sister. Sometimes we even forget the words of scripture which say:
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (AMP)
The above statement is about as straightforward as you can get, but look at how it reads here:
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. "I’ll do the judging," says God. "I’ll take care of it." Romans 12:17-19 (MSG)
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get around this passage. As the kids say, ‘it’s on point!" Nothing can be plainer than to realize that it’s your decision – whether you are going to get long with people. Why? Everyone wants love, everyone wants acceptance, everyone wants someone to see something special about them. Capitalizing on the good traits of an individual gives you a lot more brownie points than concentrating on the bad. Another important reminder here, we can’t exact judgment on anyone – it’s not our job number one, and secondly, we don’t have the capacity within ourselves to pull it off. God said He would take care of it, and He will!
When God is for you, he is more than the world against you:
Eternal One: I am the One who comforts you and gives you peace. So why are you afraid of human beings? Isaiah 51:12 (The Voice)
Fear will delay our peace: fear of man, fear of someone taking advantage of us, fear of not measuring up in someone else’s eyes.
We should never be robbed of our peace, the kind of peace that surpasses all man’s understanding – it’s our covenant right.
Maria