To be or not to be: At peace with all men...

Romans 12:18: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

As much as it depends on you. I used to think that this passage meant that I should try until I could try no more. Hold unto my anger till it was about to blow and then really, really blow. Try for maybe a day or two, show some love until it seems like it is all falling to dirt and then let it go. Just let it go and you will be fine. That was all that mattered. Truth is, there is so much tied into the scripture that just glancing through it at most times just isn't enough. You actually do need the Spirit within to guide you, speak to you and reveal to you or else, you could read the whole bible several times and never really gain understanding.

First question is... How do I live my life? Not talking about living with people at the moment, but on my own, how much do I cherish the life I live, the breath I take in everyday. What is most important to me? The greatest commandments of all as Jesus said are given in Mark 12:30-31. First love God with all you have and all you are, then love your neighbor's as much as you love yourself. A while back I wondered why it had to be so and then it hit me... Sometimes you are at an all time low, self confidence is at its lowest. If the love meter had a gauge yours would be hitting the low 30's that is if it even got to get above the 25 mark. Even then the love meter should hit a steady 100 for God (even if you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23:4)) after all He is always with you, watching and keeping you. So then, the way you live your life truly determines how you live with others and especially how you treat them. However if a man or woman, truly lives for God, then we will become more and more like Christ each day and the old nature that was us, with Christ will be put off not automatically but through our conscious efforts to not just put off the old nature but to keep it off.
Secondly, to be at peace, you have to have love, not just for God but for your fellow men at least as much as you do love yourself. And this is where there is a problem; after-all there are people who are not so great and are not so deserving of it. Romans 12:9 talks about pretending to love others. That by itself is a hard pill to swallow because in most cases as long as I can coexist with people not really having to talk to them it is fine right(and I am not talking about people you walk past on the streets, but people you live with and yes, people you go to church with)? There are quite a number of times I have said, if not for God I would have done this or done that... And I just wonder, how many people do the things (the good ones) they do out of sincere/grudging love. God sees the heart anyways not just the action. He looks inwardly at the heart of man, to see the true intent of our actions.
Matthew 5:38-48 sums up living at peace with all men. From turning the other cheek if offended, to allowing yourself to be cheated. From loving those that hate you, to blessing and praying for those who have the intent to do you harm. It is not an easy thing to do by ones self. But the same Spirit that was in Stephen, when he was being stoned hasn't changed till date, the same Spirit that was in Jesus when He was being crucified is still there today, the same Spirit that was in Joseph throughout the time when he was on the wrong side of justice for things he didn't do, is still the same today as it was back then.

As much as it lies with you, live at peace with all men... As much as it lies with you, turn the other cheek, if you are sued for little, give extra, love your enemies, pray for them that persecute you. If men must hate you, let them hate you for what you are not, not for what you are..
You are not a liar, a cheat, a troublemaker, a backbiter. You are a child of the living God. Let your light shine.