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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: 1 Peter 2:9-12

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

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Daily Devotional: Team Peacemaker

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Romans 5:10

I attended the same university as two of my best friends. When we were deciding on room assignments, I said I wanted the “full college experience” and would take my chance at a random roommate. I had heard that living together in the dorms can strain relationships, so, hoping to protect our friendships, I entered the lottery and was assigned a roommate I didn’t know. My best friends requested to live together, and it worked their first year. Their dorm was across campus, but we stayed close and often got our new friend groups together. 

Sophomore year, though, things changed for my best friends. Tensions grew, arguments increased, and eventually one of them crossed a line that fractured the friendship. When it happened, I went to both of them, hoping to help mend what had broken. But the pain was deep on both sides. I eventually realized that reconciliation wasn’t possible at that moment, no matter how much I wanted it for them. They weren’t quite ready. Summer break was approaching, and I was hoping the space was what they needed to reconcile.

As the summer went on, something else became clear: our larger friend group began to divide. Loyalties formed. Subtle comments revealed some were taking sides or “choosing teams.” From my prior conversations with both friends, I knew neither of them intended for their fight to further fracture our extended friend group. This was their conflict—painful and personal—but not a battle that required choosing teams—unless that was team reconciliation. 

Whenever it came up, I attempted to gently redirect the conversation. I reminded friends that our role wasn’t to judge and take sides, but to care for both people and keep reconciliation as the goal. Choosing sides might feel supportive, but it often causes more harm. I felt I was doing the right thing, not merely because I wanted things to return to the way they were, but also because God calls us to be peacemakers, and Jesus showed us just what that meant. It doesn’t mean forcing reconciliation before hearts are ready. Nor does it mean pretending wounds don’t exist. It means holding space for truth and love, not judging others based on their worst moments, and keeping hope alive when reconciliation feels impossible. In a divided world desperate to pick a team to support and to cancel out what we disagree with, that quiet, costly commitment to reconciliation may be one of the best ways to show people who Jesus is.

Next Steps

Assess where your trust level is when it comes to believing that God works in seasons of distance, silence, or waiting. Spend time in prayer and ask Him for discernment and to realign your heart toward restoration and reconciliation.