“Just Get Along… It Is Required!”

May 17     “Just Get Along… It Is Required!”            Romans 12:18

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” ( Romans 12:18)

Living in peace with everyone and being holy are two good indicators that we are walking the level path Jesus modeled for us. But how do we live in peace with everyone? We must always look at Christ’s life to discern the way. As our perfect High Priest, Jesus is the King of Peace and Righteousness. He has given us the responsibility to maintain peace in our relationships with others. In the opening Beatitudes of Christ’s famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NLT). As sons and daughters of God, we are, like Jesus, called to be peacemakers who “plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18, NLT). Living in peace with everyone requires self-discipline. The Greek term translated as “make every effort” carries the idea of intense effort and single-minded vigilance and commitment in the pursuit of something. We must leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of peacemaking. Our opinions, our politics are not important in the pursuit of harmony and peace among the brethren! To live in peace with everyone, we must depend on the empowering of the Holy Spirit. We must allow God’s Spirit to develop in us an attitude of sacrifice and humility and when we are equipped with these virtues, we can “love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.” We can lay aside our selfish ambitions, motivations, “My Way or the Highway” attitudes and love others, even our enemies, as Christ did. We can pray, like Paul, “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help [us] live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5, NLT). If we struggle to maintain peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we must remember that we are fellow “members of one body . . . called to live in peace.” God has placed each part of Christ’s wonderfully diverse body together, exactly where He wants “so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25). Knowing that “each member belongs to all the others” and that we are all one family in Christ, how can we not strive for harmony, unity, and peace? Doing all we can to live in peace with everyone won’t always be easy, but it is a biblical imperative that we obey for the glory and honor of God and His church. Whether we have been wronged or we’ve wronged another, Jesus calls us to take the first step in restoring peace in our relationships. Letting conflict with another believer go unresolved is a sin that must be confessed and dealt with. Living in peace with everyone is an indispensable goal of the believer’s life. We must always “turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it” (Psalm 34:14, NLT). What are your goals and plans for your relationship with fellow believers? Are you determined to “have your way,” or are you focused on God’s Will and Way and ready, willing and able to fulfill His ultimate plan for mankind? BELIEVERS NEED TO GET ALONG, EDIFYING CHRIST AND BUILDING THE KINGDOM! Your opinions, your politics, your human emotions take a back seat to the will and ways of God! Are you promoting the harmony and unity of the fellowship or are you a part of the problem? Stay Strong, Stay Focused … THE BEST IS YET TO BE! (Source: Got Questions Ministries.)