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| Illustrated Wall Art by Mandipidy http://www.etsy.com/listing/105657216/live-peaceably-with-all-romans-1218 |
If I’m honest, I have to admit it. It’s not easy to always live at peace with everyone. People can be foolish, angry, bossy, hostile, offensive, stuck-up, needy. Some people push our buttons. Sometimes it’s deliberate. Other times it’s unintentional.
The to-do list of behavioral mandates the Apostle Paul gives us in Romans 12 seems daunting:
v. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
v. 14 Bless those who persecute you
v. 19 Do not take revenge
v. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good
But tucked within these verses is a beautiful sentence that qualifies the rest. Click here for my post about Romans 12:18 and the possibilities for peace-filled relationships it brings.
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I've been thinking lately about Jesus' command to "bless your enemies." The names that came to mind weren't the gun-totin' type of enemies, but who can be hurtful nonetheless. And I'm supposed to bless them…
AMEN Susan! Thanks for your posting!
Blessings,
Sandi