Hey, welcome back to the morning mindset. It's time for us to join together with the power of the Holy Spirit to teach us through the scriptures how to get our minds aligned today with the truth of God.

We are looking at Romans chapter 12 verse number 18.

The verse we're looking at today I think is one of the most realistic verses in all of the

New Testament and by that I mean the Apostle Paul communicates it in a way that shows that

he is a very realistic thinker. He understands that the world

we live in is not a perfect place and that things don't always go according to plan or even

according to the way God instructs us to live.

Let's read the passage and I think you'll immediately see what it is that I mean.

This is Romans 1218 says if possible so far as it depends on you live

peaceably with all. Okay so let's kind of go in reverse order here. Let's start at the end of the verse. He says

live peaceably with all. Okay, that word all, he's talking about all people. So not only believers, not only non-believers, but both categories of people, everyone. We are

to strive to live peaceably with everyone. That means to not be in context of dissension and

difficulty in animosity all the time, not to always be arguing and

and causing strife. We are to try to live peaceably with people.

Now of course we can go too far in that extreme and live in peace at all costs, which means we're sacrificing values

and important things that should not be sacrificed

for the sake of peace.

But that's not what we're talking about.

The possible Paul is talking about in human

relationships, interactions. We are to strive for peace. Sometimes that requires difficult

conversations. Sometimes it requires difficult conversation.

Sometimes it requires a little friction on the way to peace.

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