Daily Devotional For Thursday, April 25, 2024

Does it seem to you that the world is on the brink of a major world war? It seems there are “powder kegs” all over the world. We have the war in Europe between Russia and Ukraine. We have the conflict in the Mid East between Israel and Hamas. We have China “threatening” to invade Twain. We even have a war of ideologies in America. Do we close the border or keep it open? Do we stop the anti-semitic riots and demonstrations on college campuses? Is there a war against conservatism and the use of weaponizing certain government agencies to come after conservatives?

Conflict is inevitable. Nowhere does the Bible show or say or even hint that Jesus lived a conflict free life. If anything, His life was filled with conflict. Jesus was in conflict with the religious leaders and the religious establishment of HIs day. Jesus even had to deal with conflicts between His own 12 disciples. 

I read about a young rabbi who found a serious problem in his new synagogue. During the Friday service, half the congregation stood for the prayers and half remained seated, and each side shouted at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did helped solve the impasse. Finally, in desperation, the young rabbi sought out the synagogue's 99-year-old founder.

He met the old rabbi in the nursing home and poured out his troubles. "So tell me," he pleaded, "was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during the prayers?” "No," answered the old rabbi. "Ah," responded the younger man, "then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers.” "No," answered the old rabbi.

"Well," the young rabbi responded, "what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout and the other half sit and scream.” "Ah," said the old rabbi, "that was the tradition” (Source: P. J. Alindogan, The Potter's Jar blog, "Communicate and Relate" (9-4-11).

But have you ever noticed how Jesus seemed to be always filled with peace. When Jesus faced a group of hungry people and did not personally have food, He remained peaceful. When Jesus stood at the tomb of His good friend Lazarus, He remained peaceful. When Jesus was arrested and beaten within inches of losing His life, He remained peaceful. Where there times Jesus got angry? Oh yes. Jesus was angry when He cleared the Temple twice. Jesus got angry when His disciples tried to keep children from Him. Jesus got angry with the religious leaders over their legalism and hypocrisy. Jesus always handled His anger the right way; that cannot always be said about us. Read an example of this below:

Did you hear about the elderly couple who had been married for 60 years?Throughout their life they had shared everything. They loved each other deeply. They had not kept any secrets from one another, except for a small shoebox that the wife kept in the top shelf of her closet. When they got married, she put the box there and asked her husband never to look inside of it and never to ask questions about its contents. 

For 60 years the man honored his wife's request. In fact, he forgot about the box until a day when his wife grew gravely ill, and the doctors were sure she had no way of recovering. So the man, putting his wife's affairs into order, remembered that box in the top of her closet, got it down, and brought it to her at the hospital. He asked her if perhaps now they might be able to open it. She agreed. They opened the box, and inside were two crocheted dolls and a roll of money that totaled $95,000. The man was astonished.

The woman told her husband that the day before they were married, her grandmother told her that if she and her husband were ever to get into an argument with one another, they should work hard to reconcile, and if they were unable to reconcile, she should simply keep her mouth shut and crochet a doll. 

The man was touched by this, because there were only two crocheted dolls in the box. He was amazed that over 60 years of marriage, they apparently had had only two conversations that they were unable to reconcile. Tears came to his eyes, and he grew even more deeply in love with this woman. Then he asked about the roll of money. "What's with this?" he asked. His wife said, "Well, every time I crocheted a doll, I sold it to a local craft fair for five dollars” (Source: https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/february/7020612.html).

Conflict is inevitable. If two people always agree on everything, then one of them is not needed. Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (NIV). Friendships and relationships form all the time. Friends learn from each other and they help shape the character of each other. But friendships change over time. Most of us do not have the same friends today we did in high school for all kinds of reasons. This is not always due to something bad. People change. They move away. They develop new friends and no longer have the time to maintain their relationships to those in the past. 

In biblical days, they way they took a dull steel knife or axe and sharpened it, they rubbed it over the steel blade of very sharp knife or axe. The act of sharpening increases the usability of that blade for either good or evil. The Hebrew word used in Proverbs 27:17 is used as a metaphor for the mouth or tongue. Read Psalm 57:4 and Isaiah 49:2. So, sharpens serves as a metaphor for dialogue. But in rubbing one steel blade over another creates something — friction or heat. 

Think about this. After you have a heated argument with someone: a spouse, a child, a sibling, a parent or a friend and you resolve the issue and “make-up,” you feel closer. It took conflict or the friction to do that. This is why we should never fear conflict, or avoid conflict, or flee conflict unless our life is literally in danger. 

Jesus said this in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (ESV). Chuck Swindoll writes this:

Peacemakers does not mean “Blessed are those who avoid all conflicts and confrontations.” It does not mean, “Blessed are those who are laid back, easygoing, and relaxed.” • Nor, “Blessed are those who defend a ‘peace at any price’ philosophy.” • It doesn’t mean, “Blessed are the passive, those who compromise their convictions when surrounded by those who would disagree.” No, none of those ideas is a characteristic of the “peacemaker” in this verse. The overall thrust of Scripture is the imperative, “Make peace!” Just listen:

• “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (Rom. 12 18).
• So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another (Rom. 14:19). 
• “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel (James 3: 16–4:2).

Get the picture? A “peacemaker” is the servant who . . . first, is at peace with himself—internally, at ease . . . not agitated, ill-tempered, in turmoil . . . and therefore not abrasive. Second, he/she works hard to settle quarrels, not start them . . . is accepting, tolerant, finds no pleasure in being negative. In the words of Ephesians 4:3, peacemakers “. . . preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ever been around Christians who are not peacemakers? Of course. Was it pleasant? Did you sense a servant’s heart? Were you built up and encouraged . . . was the body of Christ strengthened and supported? You know the answers.

In Leslie Flynn’s potent book Great Church Fights, p. 44, (I like that title), he does a masterful job of describing just how petty and abrasive we can become. He includes an anonymous poem that bites deeply into our rigid intolerance. Our tendency toward exclusiveness is exposed for all to see: Believe as I believe, no more, no less; That I am right, and no one else, confess; Feel as I feel, think only as I think; Eat what I eat, and drink but what I drink; Look as I look, do always as I do; And then, and only then, I’ll fellowship with you” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Improving Your Serve (pp. 126-127). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition).

Instead of looking and pointing out faults in others and getting into unnecessary conflicts with them or about them, let’s look for faith and people who do what the Bible says in Ephesians 4:3, “Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in the church” (PAR). 

Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, help me to be a peacemaker in the church I attend. Help me to look for the good in others. Help me to inspire others to step out in faith and strive for unity rather than pointing out problems. Help me to be the one who builds up, not bulldozes down others. Help me to use my anger or frustration in a way that honors and glorifies You. Please help me not to gossip and ruin others reputation or character. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! — Pastor Kelly