"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18
This Scripture speaks of Christian forbearance and understanding - the quiet willingness to suffer wrong rather than to foster or continue discord by quarreling and brawling.
Someone who had experienced great difficulty with an unreasonable neighbor, and who finally had to defend himself legally against the latter's unwarranted and dishonest actions, commented: "I have tried to follow Romans 12:18, but in a case like this I thank the Lord for the 'escape clause' He has put into this text. He does not say we have to live peaceably with all men under every circumstance - for even the Lord recognizes that with some people this cannot be done. Therefore, He says 'if it be possible' we should refrain from taking violent issue with those who oppose us. - This is one of the rare cases in which I found it necessary to take other permissible measures."
"How do wars begin?" a boy once asked his father. Not wishing to admit that his son's question was beyond him, the father replied, "Well, take the first World War; that began because Germany invaded Belgium." At his point his wife interrupted him, "Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was murdered." The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and retorted, "Are you answering the question, or am I?" Turning her back on her husband in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the room stopped vibrating, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son, "Daddy, you needn't tell me how wars begin; I know now!"
Are you quick to retaliate, or have you cultivated a peaceable spirit? Jesus prayed for His enemies; do you? Live peaceably this day.
"Bread For Each Day"
No comments:
Post a Comment