Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

What’s interesting about the last part of the verse is that when you are actively engaged in the first two parts, the third is a natural result of the first two. How many times have you seen someone who is peaceful? Chance are really good that turning from sin and doing good was and is completely natural to them.

But this verse seems to take it a step further. It’s an action not a result. When you are seeking and pursuing peace, you are deliberate in your approach. But what does it mean to be deliberate in pursuing peace?

• It means going out of your way to be at peace with someone who might be an “enemy.”
• It means wanting peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
• It means going after a clear conscience, so that as you lay in bed, there’s nothing that would prevent you from pursuing God more.
• Ultimately, though, it means to pursue the Prince of Peace with every fiber of your being.

And yet, as we pursue peace and the Prince of Peace, turning from sin and doing good are byproducts of that pursuit.