While Proverbs 12 is a passage with lots of great general advice and isn’t necessarily focused on peace, much of the advice in this chapter can be used to promote peace and is worth looking at as we enter into this season where peace gets some focus.
I would suggest to you first that promoters of peace choose PEACEFUL RESPONSES.
Proverbs 12:1-“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”
When we are confronted or corrected, we can choose to be receptive or get angry.We can choose to be open or we can get defensive and put up walls.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Listening to others and receiving their input is a peaceful way to respond to people.Even if we wind up not taking their advice, we can thank them for their thoughts.
How about this peaceful response in verse 16?“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” We have no shortage of opportunities to be offended. We will never live in peace with people if we are easily offended.We need to know ourselves well and understand what pushes our buttons.When people push our buttons, we need to have a plan for how we are going to handle those moments.
Little situations can escalate into big situations unnecessarily when we could choose peaceful responses.You can often diffuse annoying situations or can ignore them altogether.Let’s promote peace through peaceful responses to others.
Promoters of peace choose PEACEFUL WORDS.Verses 6, 13-14, 17-19 and verse 22 of Proverbs 12 help us understand that peaceful words are honest, helpful, healing and holy!
Gossip and innuendo hurt people’s reputations and character.Our words can promote peace or can actually assassinate them.When you pass on careless words about others you can actually be doing long-term damage.
People who promote peace with their words don’t fly off the handle when they are frustrated, inconvenienced, or annoyed.They don’t rant and rave and speak threatening, rude, and divisive words in order to put people in their place or to control or manipulate the situation.
Look at II Timothy 2:22-23: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”
Foolish talk isn’t going to promote peace.Stupid arguments won’t promote peace.
If you have to confront someone about something or have a difficult conversation, pray first, but make having peace with that person your highest goal.Yes, you want to be heard.Yes, you want to be understood, but more important, as a believer, you should want peace.Peace and not the conflict itself should be the most important thing.
Plan to speak honest, helpful, and holy words.Remember the wisdom of Solomon that reminds us, “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath” (Prov. 15:1).
It is interesting to me that Paul’s letters almost always begin with these two words:“Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”“Grace and peace.”Always in that order.Never “peace and grace.”Grace always precedes peace.Grace promotes peace.You and I had to experience God’s grace before we could have peace with God.Once we understand that God hasn’t treated us as we deserved, once we have received His grace, we can appreciate His peace inside the relationship with Him.You see, for God, it was all about relationship, and it still is.For us as His followers, it must be all about relationship which means we need to respond graciously to people who don’t deserve it in order to extend God’s peace to them.
Peace isn’t something that just will happen because we desire to experience it.Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”It takes effort to create peace, to make peace, to extend peace.If you want to be blessed, make peace with your words.
Christians ought to be the most peaceful people on the planet and our personal peace and the ability we have to deal peacefully with others ought to be part of our witness to others about Jesus.Look at this verse.I had never seen it before in this context: Mark 9:50-“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”We don’t want to lose our ability to be salt and light because we aren’t able to live in peace with people.
“Make EVERY effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
(Hebrews 12:14)Think of that person or persons with whom you have a conflict.Have you made every effort to relate peacefully with them?Not a little effort.Not a few text messages.Every effort.That is what God asks of us, and He ties living peacefully to living a holy life.
And finally, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15)
Will you join me in making a pledge to be a peacemaker in the world around you?
