By the mercies of God be at peace with all men.

Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Our encouragement today continues to be in light of the mercies of God which have been lavished upon us in Christ. In this section of his letter, he urged the believers to offer themselves as living, holy sacrifices, which are acceptable to God, in relation to those who persecute them or do evil to them. Unbelievers, not having peace with God, only view the circumstances of life from their personal, selfish perspective. To the degree that they live for themselves, their willingness to lay down their own desires and aspirations for the sake of others is hindered. Therefore, it may not be possible with some people to be at peace. In contrast, having been justified in Christ, believers in Jesus have peace with God (5:1). Because we have peace with God, we have a basis for peace because we want to forgive for the glory of God. We forgive as we have been forgiven. The Holy Spirit encourages us to be at peace with all kinds of men—that is, as far as it depends on us. I say all kinds of men because of the context—he has mentioned those who persecute us, those who are rejoicing and weeping, and in the next verses those who are our enemies. Also, the Greek grammatical structure indicates “all kinds” and not “every without exception.” As we live to love with Jesus, God is going to put all kinds of difficult people in our paths. As far as we are concerned, let our peace with God bear fruit as we mercifully remove those things which stand between us and them. Love confronts when it's in the best interest of another. Love also ignores offenses when it is for the other person’s highest good. Forgiveness covers a multitude of sins for the glory of God. Let’s remember Paul’s encouragement today. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com