HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Conflicts among men are inevitable. Differences in personalities, ideas, and opinions will often lead to disagreements, misunderstandings, and even strife. We are often guilty of hurting or wronging others by our words or actions. But the bigger problem often comes as we try to deal with those situations when we have either hurt or have been hurt by someone. We become defensive, make excuses, hold grudges, or try to get even, and only exasperate the problem by these actions. But God has not left us without counsel and guidance on this issue. He has given us a pattern by which we can and should deal with those who have done harm to us and wrong toward us. As we consider the steps God instructs us to take in dealing with those difficult situations, I want to remind us all of the motivation behind those actions. As we go to our brother, as we try to help him see his wrongdoing, even as we separate ourselves from him when necessary, we must remember that our motivation is or should always be love! Our desire should always be to restore the relationship and help him restore his relationship with God. No other motivation is acceptable to God!
Why do we so often not follow these instructions in dealing with conflict?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
