WATCHWORD:
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1
Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city. Psalm 55:9
Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. Proverbs 13:10
Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. Galatians 3:21
Meditation:
Conflict Resolution
Have you ever been here? You and those you work with have always had a good and easy relationship. When there have been disagreements, they were resolved easily and in good-natured compromise. But then, along comes a little bear, just a small minor thing that stands right there in the way of progress. And the little bear grows into a grizzly it is not a small minor thing, but a dispute that has turned into a conflict. You may find yourself angered by something that has happened, or words that were spoken in haste.
This is an example that has been used many times: It has been estimated that there are over 40,000 ‘brands’ of Christianity. Churches split, sometimes over the most mundane and inane matters; carpet color, use or naming of rooms, women in the pulpit, the age of communicants, or issues related to homosexuality. So, it goes, the conflict is not resolved, the church splits, and the factions call God’s House something else. Sad, but true. I get the feeling that some of those 40,000 ‘brands’ are simply clubs masquerading as churches, maybe for tax purposes! Do you suppose?
But there’re other kinds of conflicts. What about the conflicts that rest within you. Conflicts in your relationship with God. How do you resolve the whisper of God’s voice within your soul that nudges you in a direction you would rather not go, or do? Or maybe your tongue is out of sync with your brain. What about those conflicts?
You say you don’t have those conflicts with what God directs. Oh. Okay. Wow! Really? Am I alone on this?
Okay, let me cast it a little differently. How does the Holy Spirit influence your words and actions when you experience conflict? In an earlier Watchword I asked the question: Have you ever denied Christ? Remember that? Have you thought about that? Can you think of a time when you did?
How about this: What Would Jesus Do, WWJD, right there on your wrist, maybe, on that little colorful rubber band. You know very well WWJ have you DO, but, do you? That is a conflict that each one of us must resolve for ourselves. Do we walk with Jesus in all things? Good question.
At the start of this new year, can you tell yourself the hard truth about yourself and your walk? Can you give it all to Him, even when there is a conflict?
Closing Prayer:
Pathway to prayer in times of conflict – In Ephesians 4:32, Paul links his call to forgiveness with a call to tender-heartedness and kindness (“be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another”). God doesn’t merely call us to practice forgiveness—he calls us to practice a particular quality of forgiveness marked by warmth, joy, and the aroma of the gospel (“as in Christ God forgave you”). Praying for a heart of mercy does not mean we lay aside legal redress or accountability for future wrongdoing. But it does mean we desire reconciliation and fellowship more than winning; that we seek to redirect evil and look for pathways by which to turn it to good; that we absorb pain in order to aim at restoration and peace. As James tells us, “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” To pray for a heart of mercy amid conflict can be excruciatingly difficult, especially if you’ve been deeply sinned against. It feels a little bit like dying. It may require us to persevere in prayer for those who have wronged us, and “pray until we’ve prayed,” as the Puritans used to say. Above all, it will require a heart full of Christ’s own kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness for us, from which we draw strength to practice the same. (From the Gospel Coalition)
Lord, give us a heart of mercy. Amen.
