Evening Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5.13-15 MSG

“Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.” 1 Thessalonians 5.13-15 MSG

PDL 21 – Protecting Your Church

“So let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.”
Romans 14.19 Phillips NT

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 NLT

Day 21 of 40: “Divide and conquer” is a basic warfare strategy… and it’s an essential tool of the devil when it comes to the Church. “Division, conflict, and disharmony cause devastating damage in the Church”… and they are antithetical to God’s plan and purpose for the Church… and for us as well.

I’ve experienced and lived through conflict at all levels of a denominational church – national, regional, and local. Some conflict is simply a matter of personal preferences… some is a matter of conflicting goals or priorities… and some is down and dirty spiritual warfare. Discerning the difference is a necessary leadership skill.

The Church needs to be protected from all of it. But the conflicts that most of us we deal with are over matters of personal preferences and conflicting priorities. And that’s what I’d like to reflect on here. Continue reading “PDL 21 – Protecting Your Church” →

PDL 20 – Restoring Broken Fellowship

“God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 (GW)

“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:18 NLT

Day 20 of 40: We’re at the half-way point and today I failed the test. I’m not much of a peacemaker.

Oh it’s been easy enough when I was not a party to the conflict and had some authority in the matter… like a parent telling his/her kids to go to their rooms don’t come out until they can say they’re sorry and be nice. It can be draining… tedious… frustrating – but it’s not personal.

It’s when I’m up against a wall in front of a firing squad (at least that’s the way it feels to me) that I get testy – and peacemaking gets short shrift. You know the old saying: “When you’re up to your waist in alligators, you can’t think about draining the swamp.” I’ve been up against my share of walls over the years… and have waded with alligators. I don’t do well in those situations. Continue reading “PDL 20 – Restoring Broken Fellowship” →

Morning Reading: Romans 15.5-6 NIV

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15.5-6 NIV