Devotional for Saturday and Sunday August 30-31

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.” Proverbs 20:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Pick your battles carefully”

 

The conflict lasted for almost two decades and as a result the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was in crisis. Beginning in the late 1970’s a theologically liberal group of SBC pastors and seminary professors began leading the denomination to question, and even to modify, some of the most important foundational beliefs of the Baptist Faith and Message.

 

Conservatives within the denomination responded by resisting the changes, and for almost two decades there was heated battle within the SBC. Finally, in the mid 1990’s, conservatives won the fight. The liberal elements left the SBC and formed a new denomination. One of the leaders of the conservative forces at that time was a man named Judge Paul Pressler. In 1999 Judge Pressler wrote a book entitled “A Hill on Which to Die”. In it he explained that the issues at stake were so serious that they could not be overlooked. The Biblical compromises being advocated by the liberal element were so at odds with sound Christian doctrine that they had to be opposed. For our denomination it was “A Hill on Which to Die”. The battle had to be fought and somehow it had to be won.

 

Some conflicts are like that. The issues are just too important to ignore and so the battle has to be fought. But most issues do not fall into that category. Most things people fight about are actually much less serious and in the end, the outcome one way or another actually matters very little. In those cases it is not a hill on which to die and therefore the battle should not be fought, the conflict not engaged in.

 

This is where wisdom is needed. We have to be able to discern those issues that truly must be fought for, and those which really are not worth it. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 20:3. In many cases a conflict can be avoided, and so a wise and honorable person will find ways to resolve a potential dispute without it developing into a full fledged battle, but any old fool can get himself into a quarrel.

 

I want to encourage all of us to be smart about potential conflicts. Pick your battles carefully. Make sure it is an issue that really does need to be fought for. Most of the things we fight and argue over really are small and sometimes even silly, and in grand scheme of things matter very little.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Friday August 29th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. Then Paul chose Silas and departed … ” Acts 15:39-40 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God sometimes uses our conflicts to accomplish good things”

 

Throughout this month of devotional messages on conflict we’ve considered the fact that conflict is part of the human condition and sooner or later, we all end up in one. Some of us more often than others, but conflict between people is part of life. Yesterday we considered the example of Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement” who was known for his unique ability to lift people up, encourage them, and to serve as a mediator to help resolve conflicts between others. And yet in today’s Bible passage we read that even he ended up in a major conflict with his closest friend Paul.

 

In this case, Barnabas was just being himself as the Son of Encouragement. He was attempting to lift up and encourage the young man Mark who had experienced a failure in his life and who therefore needed a second chance. And Paul was being very much himself too, he was much more stern and just a bit unforgiving. The conflict was so heated and the rift so wide, that Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways.

 

Enter the Holy Spirit of God. If you know your New Testament history then you know that the Holy Spirit went to work in the middle of this situation and used the conflict to accomplish some good things. Paul and Silas went on to establish churches all across that part of the world and Paul ended up being the greatest evangelist Christianity has ever had. Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus and had similar ministry success for many years. Mark grew and matured and became a dedicated and reliable worker for the cause of Christ – so much so that decades later, in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul instructed Timothy to “Find Mark and bring him to me because he is useful to me in the ministry.”

 

Mark also went on to write one of the Gospels. Christian history tells us that Mark had also become a close associate and valued ministry assistant to the Apostle Peter. It was Peter who actually dictated The Gospel to Mark and Mark simply recorded what Peter had to say.

 

All of this just goes to show that God is bigger than our conflicts and that in spite of our stubbornness He can work in the middle of our conflicts to bring about good things for His kingdom.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Thursday August 28th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement …” Acts 4:34 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “An encourager helps to avoid and to resolve conflicts”

 

Barnabas is one of my heroes. I’ve always known that he had it right. The “Son of Encouragement” from Acts chapter four was regarded by the Christians in that early church in Jerusalem as a man who lifted others up, offered them hope and second chances, and made them want to be better people. He was also great at helping to bridge the differences between people. It was only because of the efforts of Barnabas that the suspicious Apostles even agreed to meet with the new convert previously known as Saul of Tarsus (The Apostle Paul).

 

Yup, Barnabas is my hero. He was an encourager and I’ve always wanted to be one too. Years ago my wife and I owned a home-based business we called “The Barnabas Book Company”. We sold “Encouraging books for successful Christian living.” It was a wonderful concept but I turned out to be a lousy businessman. I was way too eager for people to use my products and I ended up giving away more books than I sold. I just wanted people to be encouraged!

 

In the churches where I’ve had the privilege to be the Pastor, I have always made sure there were “Encouragement Note Cards” in the pew backs. These are little cards with instructions that read, “Everyone can use some encouragement. Please use this card to write a short note of encouragement to someone and then place it in the offering plate. We will then deliver your note of encouragement to that person for you.” The neat thing is that I get to read all those notes before they get delivered. That has always been a great source of encouragement for me.

 

What does all this have to do with our theme of conflict? Just that encouragers help to avoid and to resolve conflict. People who make it a point to intentionally encourage others are the ones who will lift people up instead of dragging them down; they will notice the potential for conflict and quickly take steps to counter it; and if a conflict already exists, the encourager will serve as a mediator to help quickly find a resolution. 

 

What a great thing it would be if we had more sons and daughters of encouragement in our churches and in our lives. There would certainly be a lot less conflict.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday August 27th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The Holy Spirit can work through you to resolve conflict”

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is part of a larger teaching by the Apostle Paul regarding sexual purity and the importance of believers not allowing their bodies to be used in immoral ways. To emphasize that point, in verses 19-20, he reminded his readers that the human body of a Christian is actually a vessel – the temple – of the Holy Spirit. And therefore it should not be used for immoral purposes or subjected to impure and unholy activities.

 

However the larger and universal point contained within that lesson is that the physical body of every believer is actually a walking talking mobile temple of the Holy Spirit. Wherever you go, you bring the Holy Spirit of God with you. And therefore, you also bring with you the Fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

 

That being the case, we can quickly see how it is that the Christian should be an instrument of peace and a resolver of conflicts. Being a walking talking mobile temple of God’s Holy Spirit, you bring with you into every situation the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. If you walk into a room and there is anger there, you can introduce the peace of the Holy Spirit. If there is sorrow, you can bring joy. If there is hate, you can counter it with love. Hurts can be healed with kindness, evil opposed by goodness, betrayal covered by faithfulness, aggression met with gentleness.

 

It has been said that a Christian has the ability to be either a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer simply reflects back whatever the temperature in the room is, but a thermostat changes it. A person who is like a thermometer is influenced by, and reflects back, whatever the emotional situation is. But the person who is the thermostat takes immediate and positive action to change it. The Holy Spirit within you gives you the ability to be a thermostat for Him. If you let Him, in every situation, He can use you to change things for the better.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday August 26th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ Therefore, we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “With God looking out for us, we don’t need to worry and we don’t need to fight.”

 

If you had to guess, where would you say the most conflicts occur? In the Middle East? How about in the halls of Congress? Maybe in the aisles of Walmart on Black Friday? Nope. While all those locations certainly do host an inordinate amount of conflict, the most conflict people are typically exposed to occurs behind closed doors, in the home, and among those we are closest to.

 

And what do you suppose is the number one source of conflict, especially between husbands and wives? No, it has nothing to do with who left the toilet seat up. The number one source of conflict in the home is usually finances. When money is tight people fight. The pressure that comes with worries over money causes more stress and strain than almost anything else a family has to deal with. Much of the concern is legitimate – job security may be a very real issue; or perhaps there is already unemployment to deal with. The bills have to get paid, the family has to eat, the car has to be repaired. It’s all very real and often very worrisome. 

 

I wish I had financial advice or a job lead that would ease your financial pressures but I don’t. I have something better. I have the promises of God to share with you. In Matthew 6:25-34, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed this very common concern about income and provisions. In that passage he spoke of how our Heavenly Father is well aware of all our needs and that He has committed in advance to provide for us. The caveat comes in verses 33-34: “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 

This is what the writer of Hebrews was referring to in 13:5-6 cited above. God is aware of your situation. He has promised (repeatedly and in many places throughout the Bible) to be with you and to provide for you. Therefore you do not need to fret and worry, only trust.

 

What does this have to do with conflict – especially conflict in the home? Just that those closest to us are our allies not our enemies. They are the ones who are going through these tough times with us, and rather than fighting and arguing, they need peace and reassurance just like you do. When a family is going through tough times, that’s the very time they need to come together – in prayer – and together claim the promises of God over their situation. If you will do that as a matter of regular practice, you will discover that the tough times push you closer together rather than driving you apart. With God looking out for us we don’t need to worry, and we certainly don’t need to fight with each other about it.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday August 25th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Give God time to resolve the conflict for you.”

 

This morning I was reading a devotional written by the great devotional writer from the last century, Oswald Chambers. In it he wrote about what he calls “The enormous leisure of God”. He wrote, “Think of the enormous leisure of God! He is never in a hurry. We are in such a frantic hurry.”

 

That statement reminded me of a lesson my original Pastor and mentor taught me many years ago about conflict in the church. This was during the years that he was getting me ready to serve in the pastoral ministry on my own. His counsel went something like this: “Jim, not every conflict needs to be immediately dealt with. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just hang back, say nothing, and be patient as God does His work. Many times He will resolve the issue for us without us having to do or say anything.”

 

Over the years since then, I’ve found that to be true more times than I can count. Many times it has turned out that if I would just leave the situation alone God worked it out in His way and in His time. My problem is that it’s not in my nature to just leave things alone. If I see a potential conflict brewing I’m inclined to step into the middle of it and try to do something about it right away. Many times that is the right way to handle it, but sometimes it’s not. This is where spiritual discernment comes in. We must be prayerful and rely on the Spirit to lead us to the right approach.

 

Unfortunately, the situation is further complicated by the fact that in those cases where God is working it out, He often takes His sweet time about it! This is the “enormous leisure of God” that Chambers wrote about. God is never in a hurry. God has all eternity to work with. So here I am fretting and fuming and practically wetting my pants wanting to jump in and handle it, and God is evidently in no hurry at all!

 

And yet in those cases where the problem is God’s to handle and not mine, I need to keep my hands off it. Because in the end He will resolve it to His satisfaction and it will be a much better resolution than I could ever have arranged. But again, the key is to know when to get involved and when to just leave it alone. The only answer to that is “spiritual discernment”. Pray about it, seek the Spirit’s leading, and if it seems appropriate, just be still and give God time to work it out.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday August 23-24

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of disciples …” Acts 6:1-2 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Disputes, handled correctly, can lead to improvement and growth”

 

In Acts chapter six we read of how the young Christian church was growing in numbers and in diversity. There were many from a “Hebraic” or traditional Jewish background, and there were many others from a “Hellenistic” or Greek background. They were a culturally diverse group and consequently they saw things differently. In this scene we read of how a dispute arose among the two groups regarding the division and distribution of food for the widows.

 

The Apostles wisely brought the entire group together, talked it out, and arrived at a solution that was acceptable to everyone. In verse five we read, “The proposal pleased the whole company.” Then in verse seven, “So the preaching about God flourished, the number of disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.”

 

As a result of a dispute that was handled correctly, the church actually grew.

 

Tension within a church is not always a bad thing. “Tension” is the stretching of two opposite forces while searching for a proper balance. Tension in itself is neutral and natural. It occurs naturally as a force of nature, and it is common and expected in group dynamics. But how we handle tension can either be constructive or destructive. In every area of life we must learn positive and constructive ways to deal with tension so as to achieve the proper balance.

 

It has been said that tension is a sign of life. That can be especially true in a church. Tension shows that people care. Granted, their care may be pulling them in opposite directions at the moment, but at least they do care. A lack of tension could indicate apathy, and in a church, apathy is death.

 

Tension in a church, handled well, can lead to stretching, growth, health, and ultimately proper balance. The key is to handle it well.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday August 22nd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A spiritually mature person is slow to anger, and easily overlooks offenses.”

 

Is it possible to measure, or assess, or to gain some insight into, the depth of a person’s spiritual maturity? Yes, it is. Both the Old and New Testaments offer us plenty of verses and passages which provide us with assessment tools, so to speak. These are indicators which reveal what’s really going on in the depths of a person’s soul. In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul wrote about the Fruit of the Holy Spirit which should become more and more evident in the life of a believer as that individual matures spiritually and grows into the likeness of Christ.

 

In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said the words that come out of our mouth reveal what’s really going on in our heart. That’s another indicator of spiritual maturity. 

 

In Proverbs 19:11 Solomon provides us with yet another of those passages. He tells us that the depth of this person’s insight (read “wisdom”) will give them patience. If you have patience you will be slow to anger. And if you are slow to anger, you will be much less likely to end up in a conflict. He also says here that one of the virtues such a person has is that they have the ability to simply overlook offenses. The ability and willingness to simply overlook an offense and shrug it off is a measure of the depth of your spiritual maturity.

 

I love the way the study notes in the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible defines “virtue”. The editors write: “Virtue is literally a “beautiful adornment”. When through insight a person gains patience, he gains the admirable capacity to overlook it when someone sins against him.”

 

Yes, the ability to do that is a “beautiful adornment” to your personality. (And it goes a long, long way towards avoiding conflicts!)

 

The Amplified Bible translates Proverbs 19:11 in this way: “Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense.”

 

Whether we define it as “good sense” or “insight” or “wisdom”; and whether it results in “virtue”, “beautiful adornment”, or “glory”, the Biblical lesson is clear – “Be slow to anger, overlook offenses, avoid conflict”. Sounds like good advice.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday August 21st

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the Devil an opportunity.” Ephesians 4:26-27 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Control your anger or your anger will control you.”

 

Numerous studies have reported that somewhere around 50% of all marriages in the USA today end in divorce. What’s especially confusing about that statistic is that on their wedding day, none of those couples expected theirs to be a marriage that would end in divorce. Nobody stands at the altar reciting their vows while thinking, “I’ll be happily married to this person for maybe five years or so, but then the relationship will start to fall apart and by the ten year mark we will be divorced.” Nobody thinks like that on their wedding day. Everyone expects their marriage to last. And yet, approximately half of them don’t.

 

And then there’s life in the average church. Viewing church life from the perspective of a Pastor and Counselor, I’m always amazed at how mean and sometimes hateful Christians can be towards each other. Years ago I came across an interesting little book entitled, “Crucified by Christians.” Actually the full title was “Healing for those who have been … Crucified by Christians”. Why does such a book even exist? Why would it be necessary?

 

There are many reasons for both of the examples cited above, but one of the most common causes of runaway conflict is uncontrolled anger. Anger is actually a normal human emotion. All of us get angry sometimes. Even Jesus got angry on occasions. And as in the case of Jesus’ anger, sometimes anger is appropriate and even needed. We should all get angry about child abuse, or genocide in Iraq, or corrupt politicians taking bribes.

 

But anger has to be properly channeled and we need to have positive control over it. If we don’t control our anger, our anger will control us. And that is when people get hurt. Uncontrolled anger results in things being said that should not have been said. Uncontrolled anger keeps a conflict going long after it should have been resolved. Uncontrolled anger is a tool in the hands of Satan.

 

As we’ve learned in previous devotional messages on this subject, the true nature of conflict is spiritual. Therefore we can know that the Bible has the spiritual counsel we need to appropriately deal with conflict and the things that cause and perpetuate it. Let’s end today with one of those pearls of Biblical wisdom:

 

“My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” James 1:19-20 (HCSB)

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday August 20th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Christians have to work for unity within the church”

 

In the book, “Handling Church Tensions Creatively” author Fred Prinzing writes of the time when he was a brand new pastor, fresh out of seminary, and of how he naively went into that position believing that since everyone in the church was at least a professing Christian, and since everyone shared the same goal of serving the Lord well, then it followed that everyone would get along.

 

Wrong!

 

Fred quickly discovered that despite sharing a common faith, Christians have widely divergent views on most aspects of church life. All of those divergent views mean that there are going to be a lot of strongly held – and often opposing – opinions about what should be done, how, and when. And so there will inevitably be frustrations, tensions, resentments, and arguing.

 

In the forward to that same book Dr. Joe Aldrich, the President of Multnomah School of the Bible, wrote “Diversity of opinion and varying cultural and religious traditions make tension (in the church) inevitable.”

 

That’s why Paul wrote what he did in Ephesians 4:2-3. Even back then in the early church, at a time so close to the time of Jesus, during a period in church history when some of those who had actually been with Jesus where still alive and could be seen and heard, even then, there were tensions in the churches.

 

And so Paul found it necessary to remind them (and us) that since we are so different, and since we do have widely divergent views on many things, it’s essential for us to be humble and with each other. We must have great patience and our goal must be to safeguard the spirit of peace and unity within the fellowship. It has to be intentional. We must consciously recognize the inherent dangers of tension and disunity that always exist within any group of believers, and we must work to safeguard the peace and unity which the Lord calls for and which we all want.

 

Do the expressions humble, gentle, patient, peaceful, and loving describe your personal approach to church life? That’s what it takes to minimize conflict and maximize unity in a church family.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim