OR...How to Destoy Your Life in Five Easy Steps
This was the title of last nights talk here in Orlando.
Looking at I Samuel 18 as the primary text, we examined how saul's lack of ability to resolve conflict ended up in his undoing.
Life is full of conflict, and the rest of the world just goes with the flow, but we are called to be different. We are called to be people who seek to make things right and to bring healing where there is hurt. Many times, we miss this though. We hide, we lose God's perpective about unity, and eventually we run from God. The impact of this is far greater than what it does to us, it affects everyone around us as well.
If you are reading this and there is someone you need to "get right" with, read Matt 5:21-26, and think about taking the steps indicated in that passage. Jesus tells us that the world will know we are his followers not by the size and grandeur of our churches, or the style of music we play, but the love that we have for one another. If we are at odds, then no matter what we say with our mouths we may be sending a louder message that we aren't following Jesus.
Pretty scary thought...
5 comments:
What's up Billy... thought I would check out the new blogger, and I like it. I wanted to comment on this post you have here. I agree, and think resolving differences is an extremely important topic we face in this intense litigious society in which we reside. Thanks for the post. Hope all is well.
-Andy W.
Andy,
Good to hear from you my friend! Hope you are doing well in SoCal. That's a really interesting point you bring up with our penchant for lawsuits. Just think, if we worked more toward reconciliation, most lawyers would have a manageable workload. Which would mean that we would do a better job of taking care of legitimate worngdoings. That's really interesting to me.
It's interesting because you made me think of Romans 12:18. "If possible, so much as it depends on you, be at peace with all men"
Another way of rendering this is "be reconciled". When we reach out to people around us with whom we aren't at odds (i.e. the strangers we pass by every day), we move toward extending a sense of peace or reconciliation with them. They, and you, can be immensely blessed by a kind gesture.
There are many verses that speak to being sensitive to the needs of others, but often we ignore those. It's funny because there is like an unspoken assent to these not being commands when they are. The irony exists when we criticize a brother or sister for drunkenness while we fail to maintain an attitude of love, sensitivity, and humility in our interactions with others. It isn't that getting hammered isn't wrong, it's just that we might have a huge log in our eye that needs dealt with.
Imagine if we were a community that loved one another, that put others first, that spoke the truth in love. What an amazing testimony that would be!
Good stuff Billy,
Being sensitive to another's needs usually entails sacrificing what you want, sacrificing your space or time etc. It can be hard to remember this and do this on a daily basis. I know my first response is usually the opposite.
Part of that sensitivity could be considered hospitality and mercy. Many times I have heard people speak of these things in a condescending way--which is neither hospitable or merciful--it is patronizing. We genuinely do need to be sensitive to others. There are so many quality "other's first" scriptures, and yet we avoid these in our faith practice.
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