Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Romans chapter 14, verse 19.

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

What a great exhortation here in Romans chapter 14.

And these chapters in Romans are just filled with one-liner encouragement,

exhortations to live and to love and to serve and to care as God has called us to.

And here in verse 19, to hear God say that we should pursue what makes for peace and for

mutual upbuilding. We are sinners and we are prone to disagree. We are prone to get into conflict

and experience tension with one another. And we're prone to tear one another down.

Just the pride and sinfulness and selfishness in each of us is oftentimes just we're looking

to advance ourselves, oftentimes at the expense of others.

And so we need to hear this verse. And in a variety of relationships,

in our relationships at home, I think about marriage, I think about kids, I think about parents with

kids with one another. I think about when my kids are having some tension with each other.

And I think, oh, this is a good verse. Let us pursue what makes for

peace and for mutual upbuilding. And the same, again, in marriage, I think about relationships at work.

I think relationships in the church. Let's pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

So this exhortation to us is a good reminder that God is honored when we are pursuing

peace. And when we are pursuing that which builds up one another, not when we are pursuing

strife or being even okay with strife and tension that's unhealthy.

We want to pursue peace.

We want to keep from that kind of strife and conflict.

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