Romans 12:18-19 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:  “It is mine to avenge.  I will repay”  says the Lord.

Can you imagine if everyone lived by this rule?  As far as it depends on you and me – as much as we can possibly do – live at peace with everyone.

WHAT?  But they did this to me!  They said that about me and it wasn’t true!!  They took my money.  They stole my job.  They broke up my marriage.  They were mean to my child.

Yes.  All very good reasons to not want to be friends with someone or hang out with them.  Agreed.  Amen.   YOU.. ARE… RIGHT.  Now……feel better?  BUT Paul says that as far as it depends on each one of us individually we are to live at peace with everyone if at all possible.  And that is so very hard.

How is it possible?  I believe it is only possible by reading verse 19 and believing that  God is in control of everything.  That verse goes on to say that we are not to take revenge ourselves.  We are not to try to pay back the person for the wrong they did but rather to trust God that He is going to make it all right again; that He is going to repay and to avenge.  He can handle it much better than we can.  All we would do is make a bigger mess out of it and build up hatred and anger and allow the devil to get a foothold.

This is a hard one for me but I felt God drawing me to these verses and teaching me to LET IT GO!  With all the hatred in the world and the backstabbing in the political realm (no matter what side you fall on) and the conniving and devious behavior, this verse needs to be shouted from the mountain tops!!

Can  you imagine if everyone would try to live at peace with everyone else?!  Just try.  It doesn’t mean you agree with them or you hang out with them or you go to dinner with them.  It just means that you live at peace – no planning revenge, no hatred, no talking behind their backs or making fun of them – just smiling, being kind, praying for them.

My challenge to myself and to you today is to try to trust God in absolutely everything today and let Him take care of repaying those who are not kind to you or who have harmed and hurt you.  Try very hard to pray for them.  Try very hard to live at peace with everyone.  For one minute say a prayer for every person you come in contact with in that minute and ask God to bless them and help them find salvation if they do not already know Jesus.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this “everybody getting along” thing can look like – even if for a minute as far as it depends on me.