Patience In Conflict February 17, 2014 05:00 Read: Proverbs 15:18, 16:32 Opportunities to be patient occur multiple times on a daily basis. These opportunities tend to look like the customer with 25 items who is hogging the express lane, the rude customer service agent or the lady who must be driving Miss Daisy in the left hand lane. These are also tempting opportunities to succumb to a quick temper. It is easy to think of a person who is patient as a “quarrel calmer” or a person who is quick-tempered as weak. Instead, a patient person is someone who is characterized by selflessness. A patient person draws from strength greater than a warrior’s or conqueror’s. It is not a Christian’s duty to convict or judge a person who is not following Christ. Even Jesus said He came to save the world not to condemn it (John 3:17). John 1:16 says that we have received grace upon grace through the fullness of Christ. When a Christian’s focus is on how much the Lord loves, protects and provides for them, compassion always has victory over frustration in conflict. This compassion results in patience and self-control that gives us a strength greater than that of warriors and conquerors. Reflect: Do you make excuses for how you handle conflict with statements like “That’s just the way I was raised” or “That’s how I was born”? As a Christian, you always have a choice in conflict. Are you reacting according to who you were in your sin or who you are in Christ? Does the way you approach conflict need to change completely? If so, what is one thing you can begin to do today to help make this change? What opportunities for patience can you predict for this week and how can you prepare yourself to meet them?
Posted on: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 14:36:16 +0000
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