Be Kind

It’s easy to get caught up in an attempt to prove we’re right and someone else is completely wrong. But when others disagree with you, do you automatically put up walls or do you try to find common ground for discussion?

When we dig in and become immovable in our views, even belittling another person’s belief in order to win the argument, we are undermining Christ’s Kingdom.

Conflict is unavoidable, but combat is a choice. Conflict can illuminate differences, and in the process, actually help us. But pushing it to the next level of combat is rarely, if ever, productive.

And sometimes it seems like our response is more strident if it’s a Christian who takes a position contrary to ours. Or if the church takes a position we believe to be wrong. Rather than striving for peace, we automatically wage war, moving into combat before we have provided an opportunity to understand the differences.

God wants us to bring people together, to build bridges, not walls, wherever possible. Especially within His church.

His Promises

God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called the children of God.

Your kindness will reward you,

but your cruelty will destroy you.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.