Peace

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-22)

There are times when I am offended by one of my brothers or sisters in Christ.  And with this offence I sometimes feel the peace of God waning from within me as well. This is usually a good sign that I have let things go too far. For example, if someone has misrepresented the Word or the Lord, I usually want to jump in and set things straight. But there usually is a point at which I get a check in the spirit to stop.

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)

Even though we may be right, there is a point at which a matter can take away our peace and lead to disorder. Are we listening to the Holy Spirit and His still small voice of peace saying, "STOP!" or are we allowing our pride to speak and say "I am right."

In our marriages sometimes it is not about who is right or wrong, it's about who listens to that still small voice saying "STOP."