Romans 12:17-21 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. 19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath `of God': for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Relationships are one of life’s greatest sources of joy. Yet they can also lead to some of our biggest trials. Let’s face it—we won’t be able to get along with everyone, because we live in an imperfect world. Every human being has been affected by the fall and enters this life as a sinner. Furthermore, the fact that we are Christians is itself a source of conflict: Jesus tells us the world will hate us because we are His ( John 15:18-20 18 If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before `it hated' you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. ).

Despite all these obstacles, we are to try to be at peace with all men. This means we should seek to resolve conflicts and do what we can to live in harmony. Scripture gives us the following guidelines:

• Never pay back evil for evil or take your own revenge (Rom. 12:17, Rom. 12:19).
• Overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).
• Love and pray for your enemies ( Luke 6:27-28 27 But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, 28 bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. ).
• Practice frequent forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22).

These principles all run counter to human nature; therefore, the only way to successfully apply them is through the power and grace of Jesus Christ. Yet despite our best efforts, peace is not always possible. When our overtures are repeatedly rejected, ending the quest may be appropriate. Or if harmony is possible only by violating Scripture, we must refuse to compromise.

God is the only one who can change the heart of someone who refuses to be reconciled. Our responsibility is to faithfully represent Christ to that person with our words, attitudes, and behavior. The Lord’s job is to produce the fruit.

Bible in One Year: Psalms 29-34 Chapter 29 1 Ascribe unto Jehovah, O ye sons of the mighty, Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength. 2 Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; Worship Jehovah in holy array. 3 The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth, Even Jehovah upon many waters. 4 The voice of Jehovah is powerful; The voice of Jehovah is full of majesty. 5 The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; Yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox. 7 The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire. 8 The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, And strippeth the forests bare: And in his temple everything saith, Glory. 10 Jehovah sat `as King' at the Flood; Yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever. 11 Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace. Psalm 30 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. `A Psalm' of David. Chapter 30 1 I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2 O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial `name'. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy `cometh' in the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. 7 Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O Jehovah; And unto Jehovah I made supplication: 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper. 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that `my' glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalm 31 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Chapter 31 1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge; Let me never be put to shame: Deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me. 4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; For thou art my stronghold. 5 Into thy hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth. 6 I hate them that regard lying vanities; But I trust in Jehovah. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness; For thou hast seen my affliction: Thou hast known my soul in adversities; 8 And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large place. 9 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress: Mine eye wasteth away with grief, `yea', my soul and my body. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, And my years with sighing: My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, And my bones are wasted away. 11 Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach, Yea, unto my neighbors exceedingly, And a fear to mine acquaintance: They that did see me without fled from me. 12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. 13 For I have heard the defaming of many, Terror on every side: While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life. 14 But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah: I said, Thou art my God. 15 My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. 16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: Save me in thy lovingkindness. 17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; for I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol. 18 Let the lying lips be dumb, Which speak against the righteous insolently, With pride and contempt. 19 Oh how great is thy goodness, Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee, Before the sons of men! 20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be Jehovah; For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city. 22 As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications When I cried unto thee. 23 Oh love Jehovah, all ye his saints: Jehovah preserveth the faithful, And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All ye that hope in Jehovah. Psalm 32 `A Psalm' of David. Maschil. Chapter 32 1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed `as' with the drought of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, `Else' they will not come near unto thee. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth in Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Chapter 33 1 Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright. 2 Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; Play skilfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of Jehovah is right; And all his work is `done' in faithfulness. 5 He loveth righteousness and justice: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah. 6 By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: He layeth up the deeps in store-houses. 8 Let all the earth fear Jehovah: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. 10 Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought; He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. 11 The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 Jehovah looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men; 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, That considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety; Neither doth he deliver any by his great power. 18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness; 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, be upon us, According as we have hoped in thee. Psalm 34 A Psalm of David; when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. Chapter 34 1 I will bless Jehovah at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 Oh magnify Jehovah with me, And let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought Jehovah, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be confounded. 6 This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them. 8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. 9 Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah. 12 What man is he that desireth life, And loveth `many' days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are `open' unto their cry. 16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 `The righteous' cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned. Psalm 35 `A Psalm' of David.