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1 Peter 3:8-18
Turn away from evil and do good. Search
for peace, and work to maintain it (v.11).

Checking the texting inbox on my phone, I understood
my friend’s frustration when I read her message:
“I am sick of unresolved conflict!! I can’t take it
anymore!” Ironically, our Bible study the night before
had been on peace. As I thought about her situation—
and some of my own—I was reminded how easily
conflict can arise and how difficult resolution can be.
In a world full of conflict, God’s Word stands in stark
contrast with its reminders that “God blesses those
who work for peace” (Matthew 5:9), and ”those who
are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap
a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18). Peter told his
audience to be humble and loving, choosing to end
conflicts by paying people “back with a blessing”
(1 Peter 3:8-9). Peacekeeping and peacemaking are
similar in many ways, and yet different. The primary
emphasis in keeping peace is to maintain it by
enforcement or supervision (v.11; Hebrews 12:14).


Making peace, however, means getting to the root
of the issue. Colossians 1:20 teaches that for us to be
reconciled to God, our sin can be removed only through
the work of the cross (1 Peter 3:18). Peace comes with
a price. To make peace also means we have to be
content to lose control. Isaiah 26:3 reminds us, “You will
keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose
thoughts are fixed on You.” We can’t always make our
circumstances or relationships peaceful, but we can find personal peace by:
• Recognizing that our peace is not measured by others’ choices, but by our
own (Romans 12:18).


• Growing in our relationship with the God of all peace (2 Peter 1:2).
Peace will not be found in what we can maneuver to bring us comfort, but in
what we surrender to God. —Regina Franklin

more›
Read John 14:26-27 to
find out the role of the
Holy Spirit in bringing
real peace to your heart.


next›
In what area of your
life are you attempting
to keep peace or make
peace? Thinking of a
conflict you are currently
facing, what can you do
to “live in peace”? Do
you trust God to work
out the conflict or are
you relying on your
own efforts?

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