Wednesday Words of Encouragement: Work at Peace

Hebrews 12:14 (NLT) ~

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

How many times do we fly off the handle at someone because we didn't take the time to stop and pray? How often do we get angry because we haven't viewed a situation from another's point of view? And how many times do we make assumptions without knowing all the facts?

I know that there have been times when anyone of the above questions have applied to my reactions to someone. It's easy to give in to our gut reaction and lash out in anger. It's difficult to put ourselves in another's shoes to see why they said or did the things they did. And it's easy to assume we know all the details as we make a judgment.

I'm learning to pray first before I deal with a difficult situation because when I don't do that, I overreact. I get mad and often, my initial reaction is not a good one. This passage is a good reminder to pray for the person you are having difficulty with. It is a reminder to pray that you would work at living at peace, that you would look at a situation from another's point of view and that you pray God's blessing on that person.

When I have done this, I find things go so much better. I'm at peace and any anger or frustration I feel dissipates. As believers we have an obligation to live at peace with others and we are to live lives that are pleasing and holy to God. 

Let's continue to encourage and build one another up in this way.