Living in Peace with EVERYONE // Hebrews 12:14

Hebrews 12:14 | Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Yesterday we looked briefly at how we are to bear with one another and forgive like God. Today’s verse echoes this sentiment by saying we need to make every effort to live in peace with everyone. Does it strike you how God reveals through the Bible that people can be difficult? True to life, huh? The verse goes on to show the importance of holiness (meaning believers are to be set apart from the world in how we live in this corrupted world) showing that the differences people of the world see in the behavior of believers help people see the Lord. You might have heard the old adage that you might be the only Bible someone ever reads. Sure, it can be a cliche, but it reveals a great truth that people will judge the validity of something (GOD) they cannot see based on the things they can see (Christians). So, what kind of witness are you providing to the world based on how you live in relationship with others? We show our love of God in the way we love all God’s children (1 John 5:13). Consider this verse from 1 John 4:20, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” How indeed…