Word for Today, Mon, 27 Aug 2001: Dealing With Conflict

#1 · August 27, 2001, 10:36 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 27, 2001, 10:36 am
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The following message brings up one of the most difficult
subjects in the Christian faith, as far as I am concerned. The
message concerns judging others. The principles involve how we
are to deal with others who behave differently than we do.

The first principle is that we do not know what others are going
through, what they have been through, or what they are thinking
about, so it is not our place to judge others about things we
cannot know or appreciate.

The second principle is in how to deal with those who have
committed obvious acts which are in direct conflict with what is
seen in scripture. Matthew 18 gives us principles of how to deal
in these situations. The advice is good, but people's
interpretation of what the advice is and what to do with it seem
to differ considerably. I would urge you to read and understand
Matthew 18 for yourself, and consider these comments after
considering the scripture. Ultimately, the scripture is the
authority, not me or the authors of other devotional messages.

In Matthew 18, Jesus describes in detail how to deal with those
in the church who are doing something wrong that is a clear
violation of what the scriptures say. Jesus instructs us to
confront the individual, privately and with care, and inform the
person of the biblical principle that is being violated. Notice
that I'm using the term "Principle". There are many laws that
generally make sense, but Jesus Himself gave us principles that
even override the laws at times. Some things are pretty black
and white. When such situations arise, it is important to help
others realize the importance of those principles. Only when the
individual totally refuses to cooperate or examine their behavior
should we consider distancing ourselves from them. The much
better thing is to confess our difficulties and errors and work
them out, allowing God's gracious provisions to guide us, and His
merciful forgiveness to be our pattern as well.

There does come a time, however, when we can no longer associate
with those who claim our beliefs, yet flagrantly abuse them. How
I pray that we could encourage and restore one another to the
faith and to acts of loving kindness, instead of self-righteous
accusations! This is an area that requires much prayerful
consideration. If you ever find yourself having to deal with
issues in this area, please make them matters of considerable
prayer. Mercy triumphs over judgement every time, and it is far
better to draw one back to the Lord, even if we have to distance
ourselves. But God's Word, properly applied, is the way to have
discernment in these issues. My prayer today is that God's
people will learn this balance, that people may find God's mercy
and love it, instead of detesting only the judgement. Both are
very real, but mercy is clearly the preferred choice.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: Quiet Walk <quietwalk@lists.crosswalk.com>
Subject: Quiet Walk for Monday, August 27, 2001
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 04:00:28 -0400

Q U I E T W A L K D E V O T I O N A L
by Walk Thru the Bible

BIBLE READING

Romans 14:1-12

OVERVIEW
Paul outlines principles for guiding our actions around
"weaker brothers."

INSIGHT
There is an attitude afoot that we ought never question
the actions of others: "Judge not, that you be not
judged" (Matthew 7:1). "Who are you to judge another's
servant?" (Romans 14:4).

It must be stressed that these two statements are offered
in the context of "doubtful things," that is, things
about which there is no biblical command.

In cases where clear biblical commands obviously are
being violated, we are called upon to challenge such
actions and to remove ourselves from association with the
offenders if necessary (Matthew 18:15-17).

PRAYER

* The Lord will strengthen us as we face temptation
for which we give Him our earnest praise:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and
my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to
be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies
(Psalm 18:2-3).

* Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your
life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

Let me return to You, O Lord,
And You will have mercy on me;
And to You, my God,
For You will abundantly pardon
(based on Isaiah 55:7).

* Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your
mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your
affirmation of His Word:

Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he
who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He
is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews
11:6).

* As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray
for:

- your development of an eternal
perspective,
- the fruit of the Spirit to be evident
in your life,
- needs of co-workers/schoolmates,
- protection for Christians in Muslim
countries.

* Close this time of prayer by thinking about God's
love and mercy. Now offer this prayer of worship to
the Lord:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen
(based on 2 Corinthians 13:14)

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Walk Thru the
Bible. Copyright 2001 Walk Thru the Bible. All
rights reserved. See www.walkthru.org/ for more
information about Quiet Walk and other devotionals from
Walk Thru the Bible.

You can purchase the NKJV MacArthur Study Bible Hardcover and other
titles at christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors - CBD).
< shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/bible_nkj >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >
-----------
To read the Current Feature Story from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentFeatureStory/

For today's complete News Summary from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentNewsSummary/

-----------
For Copyright Terms go to www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* To subscribe, send an email to:
< SUBSCRIBE-quietwalk@lists.crosswalk.com > or go to
< www.crosswalk.com/lists > for a complete list of
our newsletters.
* Copyright 2001 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
phonecard.yahoo.com/

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The following message brings up one of the most difficult
subjects in the Christian faith, as far as I am concerned. The
message concerns judging others. The principles involve how we
are to deal with others who behave differently than we do.

The first principle is that we do not know what others are going
through, what they have been through, or what they are thinking
about, so it is not our place to judge others about things we
cannot know or appreciate.

The second principle is in how to deal with those who have
committed obvious acts which are in direct conflict with what is
seen in scripture. Matthew 18 gives us principles of how to deal
in these situations. The advice is good, but people's
interpretation of what the advice is and what to do with it seem
to differ considerably. I would urge you to read and understand
Matthew 18 for yourself, and consider these comments after
considering the scripture. Ultimately, the scripture is the
authority, not me or the authors of other devotional messages.

In Matthew 18, Jesus describes in detail how to deal with those
in the church who are doing something wrong that is a clear
violation of what the scriptures say. Jesus instructs us to
confront the individual, privately and with care, and inform the
person of the biblical principle that is being violated. Notice
that I'm using the term "Principle". There are many laws that
generally make sense, but Jesus Himself gave us principles that
even override the laws at times. Some things are pretty black
and white. When such situations arise, it is important to help
others realize the importance of those principles. Only when the
individual totally refuses to cooperate or examine their behavior
should we consider distancing ourselves from them. The much
better thing is to confess our difficulties and errors and work
them out, allowing God's gracious provisions to guide us, and His
merciful forgiveness to be our pattern as well.

There does come a time, however, when we can no longer associate
with those who claim our beliefs, yet flagrantly abuse them. How
I pray that we could encourage and restore one another to the
faith and to acts of loving kindness, instead of self-righteous
accusations! This is an area that requires much prayerful
consideration. If you ever find yourself having to deal with
issues in this area, please make them matters of considerable
prayer. Mercy triumphs over judgement every time, and it is far
better to draw one back to the Lord, even if we have to distance
ourselves. But God's Word, properly applied, is the way to have
discernment in these issues. My prayer today is that God's
people will learn this balance, that people may find God's mercy
and love it, instead of detesting only the judgement. Both are
very real, but mercy is clearly the preferred choice.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: Quiet Walk <quietwalk@lists.crosswalk.com>
Subject: Quiet Walk for Monday, August 27, 2001
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 04:00:28 -0400

Q U I E T W A L K D E V O T I O N A L
by Walk Thru the Bible

BIBLE READING

Romans 14:1-12

OVERVIEW
Paul outlines principles for guiding our actions around
"weaker brothers."

INSIGHT
There is an attitude afoot that we ought never question
the actions of others: "Judge not, that you be not
judged" (Matthew 7:1). "Who are you to judge another's
servant?" (Romans 14:4).

It must be stressed that these two statements are offered
in the context of "doubtful things," that is, things
about which there is no biblical command.

In cases where clear biblical commands obviously are
being violated, we are called upon to challenge such
actions and to remove ourselves from association with the
offenders if necessary (Matthew 18:15-17).

PRAYER

* The Lord will strengthen us as we face temptation
for which we give Him our earnest praise:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and
my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to
be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies
(Psalm 18:2-3).

* Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your
life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

Let me return to You, O Lord,
And You will have mercy on me;
And to You, my God,
For You will abundantly pardon
(based on Isaiah 55:7).

* Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your
mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your
affirmation of His Word:

Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he
who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He
is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews
11:6).

* As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray
for:

- your development of an eternal
perspective,
- the fruit of the Spirit to be evident
in your life,
- needs of co-workers/schoolmates,
- protection for Christians in Muslim
countries.

* Close this time of prayer by thinking about God's
love and mercy. Now offer this prayer of worship to
the Lord:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen
(based on 2 Corinthians 13:14)

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Walk Thru the
Bible. Copyright 2001 Walk Thru the Bible. All
rights reserved. See http://www.walkthru.org/ for more
information about Quiet Walk and other devotionals from
Walk Thru the Bible.

You can purchase the NKJV MacArthur Study Bible Hardcover and other
titles at christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors - CBD).
< shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/bible_nkj >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >
-----------
To read the Current Feature Story from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentFeatureStory/

For today's complete News Summary from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentNewsSummary/

-----------
For Copyright Terms go to http://www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* To subscribe, send an email to:
< SUBSCRIBE-quietwalk@lists.crosswalk.com > or go to
< http://www.crosswalk.com/lists > for a complete list of
our newsletters.
* Copyright 2001 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
phonecard.yahoo.com/