If you ask most people if they want peace in their life and in the world most would say yes. But if everyone wants peace, why isn’t there peace? With the holiday season approaching, old feuds and hurt feelings tend to come to the surface. The pride that arises from these relationship conflicts pushes peace further away. But peace must begin in your heart.

Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.”

To love your neighbor and treat people the way you want to be treated appears all throughout scripture. It should be more than a concept; it should be a daily practice in your life.

James 4:1-2, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.”

Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart.”

Psalm 73:6, “Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence…”

Be at the place of peace, putting pride aside.

Proverbs 15:4, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

Peace in any relationship can start with you. Being a peacemaker doesn’t come from a place of weakness, it comes a place of strength – conquer pride and move forward. Your desires and what you want for yourself are often the cause of the quarrels and battles around you. First, start with peace in your heart then it will spread from there.