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A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 16:28 (NLT)
It can start harmlessly enough. A word of concern here. A sarcastic comment there. It can be couched in a spiritual sense as a prayer request. It can be intentional or unintentional. Regardless of intent or type, once planted the seed germinates. It finds new ears that will listen; fertile soil of discontent.
The ‘troublemaker’ of Proverbs 16:28 conjures up the word picture of a sower spreading his seed. Unlike farmers of today, the seed wasn’t planted in neat rows and evenly spaced. It was thrown, strewn across the ground in a somewhat haphazard manner. Some fell on hard ground and was became a hungry birds breakfast. Others landed in rocky or weed choked ground and was soon forgotten because it was overwhelmed by what was already there. But the seed that landed on ground willing to accept it found a home in which to grow.
Jesus talks about the ‘Sower and the seed’. Every sermon I’ve heard (or preached myself) on the topic teaches us the importance of being fertile soil for good seed. But what if the sower is sowing seed of discontent, gossip, anger or hate? The meaning of that story was the importance of being fertile ground for God’s word to make a fruitful difference in our lives.
Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. We can be fertile ground for the peace-breakers in our lives. Peace-breakers are those people who seem to be able to find something wrong with everyone and everything. They can label their words as spiritual concern, but they really destroy peace and relationships.
Jesus said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Conflict in relationships is inevitable. We have different likes and dislikes; we see things from different perspectives; we have different backgrounds to base our feelings on. When conflict comes into your life it is important to handle it in a way that doesn’t destroy people, even if they have hurt you. Be a peace-maker, not a peace-breaker.
When you have a conflict with someone make sure that you deal with the person you are in conflict with. Don’t sow seeds of frustration over the incident with those around you. Even if you resolve that conflict, the seed sown in fertile soil will continue to grow.
When a sower of ‘discontent’ tosses seed your way be so full of the Holy Spirit that those words find no landing place. Don’t allow the peace-breaker to change your opinion of others.
Most of the conflict we have in the church is over trivial matters in regards to eternity. People argue over the ‘correct version’ of the Bible, or the ‘best music’ for worship and the list goes on and on. Jesus calls us to peace so that the world can know his peace through us.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we’ve acted as peace-breakers and not peace-makers. Forgive us for the times we’ve been fertile ground for seeds of discontent or for those times we’ve been ‘sowers’ of discontent. Help us show the world the peace you’ve promised us. Amen.
God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children! Matthew 5:9 (CEV)
It was a stupid thing to say and just plain wrong. It was one of those situations where you wish you could just grab the word bubble and pull it back into your mouth and pretend it never happened. Of course, it didn’t work that way. In my stupid attempt to be funny I offended a dear friend. She stormed away, hurt, humiliated and angry…for good reason, I might add.
A mutual friend came to me a few days later and told me she’d talked to him about the things I’d said to Mindy (not her real name). It was slightly embellished, but for the most part accurate. I was embarrassed and ashamed. The situation wasn’t made any easier by the fact that we were mutual friends and were together often in social situations. Mindy would see me and move to an opposite side of the room. I tried on a few occasions to apologize, but she had nothing to do with it.
There’s an old saying, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”. Mindy and my situation was living proof of that adage. I was wrong for what I said. Her refusal to listen to my apology or forgive me wasn’t appropriate either. It was just as stupid and immature as the words I spoke to start the whole situation.
After several weeks, our mutual friend approached me. He’d been watching from the sidelines and had frankly seen enough. “Something has to be done to resolve this”, he told me one day as we met for coffee. I agreed and shared how I’d tried on several occasions to reconcile, but to no avail.
Dan, our mutual friend, decided that if reconciliation was going to happen it would have to be done with a mediator. He approached Mindy and she seemed more than willing for the three of us to meet together. We met at our church in a conference room. Dan read from Matthew on the importance of forgiving a brother when he sins. Then it was my turn. I told Mindy (again) how sorry I was for my words, that they were stupid and just plain un-Christian. I asked her (again) to forgive me. To my surprise she did! We talked. We hugged. Our friendship became much closer than it ever had before.
There could be all sorts of things that could be said about my flippancy or Mindy’s immaturity. The reality is, Jesus calls us to relationship with one another and he calls us to be peacemakers. Dan exemplified what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:9. He didn’t make judgments about who was right or wrong. He didn’t take sides or wait ‘for time to heal us’.
What he did was to put himself in the vulnerable position of peacemaker. Each of us is called to do the same. When a brother or sister in Christ is in conflict we are called to do what we can to reconcile ‘warring factions’. God’s word, patience, wisdom, prayer and love are the tools in our arsenal.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us as your children to be actively involved in the lives of others so that we can act as peacemakers when conflict arises. Give us courage to act, wisdom to know how, grace to accept those times when reconciliation attempts fail. Amen.
5/15/2013
When a brother or sister in Christ is in conflict we are called to do what we can to reconcile ‘warring factions’. Matthew 5:9
God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children! Matthew 5:9 (CEV)
It was a stupid thing to say and just plain wrong. It was one of those situations where you wish you could just grab the word bubble and pull it back into your mouth and pretend it never happened. Of course, it didn’t work that way. In my stupid attempt to be funny I offended a dear friend. She stormed away, hurt, humiliated and angry…for good reason, I might add.
A mutual friend came to me a few days later and told me she’d talked to him about the things I’d said to Mindy (not her real name). It was slightly embellished, but for the most part accurate. I was embarrassed and ashamed. The situation wasn’t made any easier by the fact that we were mutual friends and were together often in social situations. Mindy would see me and move to an opposite side of the room. I tried on a few occasions to apologize, but she had nothing to do with it.
There’s an old saying, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”. Mindy and my situation was living proof of that adage. I was wrong for what I said. Her refusal to listen to my apology or forgive me wasn’t appropriate either. It was just as stupid and immature as the words I spoke to start the whole situation.
After several weeks, our mutual friend approached me. He’d been watching from the sidelines and had frankly seen enough. “Something has to be done to resolve this”, he told me one day as we met for coffee. I agreed and shared how I’d tried on several occasions to reconcile, but to no avail.
Dan, our mutual friend, decided that if reconciliation was going to happen it would have to be done with a mediator. He approached Mindy and she seemed more than willing for the three of us to meet together. We met at our church in a conference room. Dan read from Matthew on the importance of forgiving a brother when he sins. Then it was my turn. I told Mindy (again) how sorry I was for my words, that they were stupid and just plain un-Christian. I asked her (again) to forgive me. To my surprise she did! We talked. We hugged. Our friendship became much closer than it ever had before.
There could be all sorts of things that could be said about my flippancy or Mindy’s immaturity. The reality is, Jesus calls us to relationship with one another and he calls us to be peacemakers. Dan exemplified what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:9. He didn’t make judgments about who was right or wrong. He didn’t take sides or wait ‘for time to heal us’.
What he did was to put himself in the vulnerable position of peacemaker. Each of us is called to do the same. When a brother or sister in Christ is in conflict we are called to do what we can to reconcile ‘warring factions’. God’s word, patience, wisdom, prayer and love are the tools in our arsenal.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us as your children to be actively involved in the lives of others so that we can act as peacemakers when conflict arises. Give us courage to act, wisdom to know how, grace to accept those times when reconciliation attempts fail. Amen.
If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s heart, as the Scripture says.” John 7:38 (NCV)
Water is an amazing thing when you think about it. It’s springtime in the Midwestern USA. Although we look forward to spring and the end of winter, springtime brings some ominous partners with it. The Red River of the North flows north along the western edge of Minnesota and into Canada.
I remember going to Fargo ND for a conference one October. During a break I decided to drive to a park and walk along this mighty river I’d heard so much about. Every spring the Red River overflows its banks, sometimes with disastrous results. I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by what I saw. The river was much smaller than I expected. It was hard to imagine how this rather small river could cause so much havoc. However, the banks can only hold so much water and then it must find other ways to go. Stagnant water doesn’t offer much concern, but moving water; living water can not be stopped!
One day, Jesus was teaching in the temple. He told the people that if ‘anyone was thirsty, they should come to him.’ He wasn’t talking about physical thirst. He was talking about that thirst that parches our very soul. You know the kind. It’s like those times when you are very thirsty physically and can’t seem to get enough liquid in you to quench the thirst. The emptiness and the dryness leaves you longing for more.
Jesus promises us that if we follow him and his ways; if we confess our sins and change our lifestyle, he will quench that deep thirst of our souls. He is the ‘drink’ that satisfies.
But Jesus goes further. Not only will the water he gives satisfy our souls, it will overflow like a river that has overflowed its banks. Nothing will stop its progress. Everyone will take notice of it! The only difference is that this river that flows out of us is a river of life, not destruction; a river of forgiveness, not judgment; a river of righteousness, not selfishness.
As followers of Jesus Christ we are given living water that flows through us for the benefit of others. So, what kind of river are you today? Are you stagnant and seeking refreshment? Seek Jesus. Are you allowing the living water to flow through you and into the life of at least one other person? May we all be like the Red River of the North. May our lives overflow, not with water, but with the love of Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus I lift up those who are struggling with the unquenchable thirst of their souls. May they find refreshment in you. I pray for us as your followers. May the river of your grace overflow our ability to contain it for the benefit of others. In your name I pray, Amen.
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25 NIV
It seems like we are deluged with pictures and stories of the horrific famine that is ravaging parts of our world. The pictures and stories anger us. They rip our hearts out and make us question why. Why does God allow this? Why don’t we do more to stop the carnage? Why are those people who withhold assistance allowed to continue to do so? Why….?
Latest estimates tell us that roughly 1/3 of the world will go to bed hungry tonight. Every 3.6 seconds someone dies from hunger. Want a better perspective of that gruesome thought? This Sunday while you sit in your comfortable 1 hour church service, 17 people will die of starvation.
These statistics are staggering. It may be of some comfort to know that comparatively few people die of starvation in the U.S.A., but it’s of little comfort.
Harsh as those statistics are, there is another statistic that’s even more staggering. It’s a type of starvation that will never make the news. Those who suffer from this type of starvation often suffer alone. Its effects are rarely noticeable. Some who have noticed have openly chastised these victims for their plight! Not only do they suffer from the starvation, they are blamed for their condition. Such is the plight of those who suffer from starvation of the soul.
Disease and starvation of the physical body is easily seen, but those who suffer from starvation of the soul, suffer in silence. They live in a world where nothing seems to go right. Relationships fail. Attempts at success are met with failure and on those rare occasions when they do succeed there is no one there to cheer them on. All of us long for someone to slap us on the back occasionally and tell us we did a great job. Soul starved people long for that but rarely see it.
The people of Israel knew what that was like. They had all the assets of the God of the Universe at their fingertips but never figured out how to make it work. They tried and failed and suffered the consequences. But there was hope. Jeremiah tells them that someday God would revive them, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
That refreshment comes through Jesus. Regardless of how deep your pain is, Jesus is there to comfort. No matter how dark the bruises of your heart, he is there to pour the soothing oil of his grace over them.
Jesus came to refresh us. It’s really a pretty cool word picture. The word would be better translated as ‘satiates’ (full to the top) or ‘inebriates’. You read that right. ‘Inebriates’. The same word we use to describe someone who has turned over control of their bodies to alcohol or drugs.
Each of us struggle in some aspect of life. It may be in our relationships. It may be with our jobs or our thought life. The bruises of an abusive past or the ghosts of our abusers may haunt us. Jesus came to refresh, to encourage, to make us so drunk (if I can be blunt) on his love and forgiveness that the pain of our starvation is filled and we can approach each new day filled to contentment.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray for those who are struggling physically. Let us not forget their plight or fail to meet their needs as best we can. But I pray as well for those suffering from starvation of the soul. May they find contentment and filling in you. Amen.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
It’s during those wilderness times that true character shows forth. Set aside for the moment the fact that Jesus was the son of God; that he was fully God and fully man. Born of a virgin, Jesus was perfect in all his ways, yet this divine person had within him the emotional and physical attributes of man as well.
Isn’t that the same as us in some respects? We are created in God’s image. Within each of us there is both divine and earthly, and in that is the conflict we deal with for all of life; the battle between good and evil; the struggle to regain the relationship with had with our creator and the desire to fill the void humanity has left in us.
Gerald G. May states: “There is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake.”
Stunning words. Meditate on them for a moment. “A desire within each of us… We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake.”
That desire rears its ugly head at the most inopportune times. When we are weakest it whispers in our ears. When our dreams seem less likely to be fulfilled it screams accusations. When our choices lead to pain for ourselves or others it mocks us.
Jesus Christ knows how you feel during those times of weakness. Forty days without food would make any man weak. Forty days without bread leads the body to scream for comfort; awakens the desire within for fulfillment.
When we are at our weakest desire pleads with us to take matters into our own hands. We don’t deserve to be treated this way. Life would be better if others would listen to us. I can find what I need in a new relationship, a new job, a new set of surroundings.
When confronted with desire in the form of the great enemy, Satan, Jesus response was classic. It’s not about bread. Even the physical yearnings of hunger and the weakness brought on by a lack of food did not keep him from being focused on the true source of fulfillment; the true cure for desire.
Later, Jesus would say in the Sermon on the Mount, “Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the ones who will be filled.”
Where has desire taken you? What path have you found yourself on that you never imagined you’d walk? What physical pain are you enduring because of your attempts at quieting the screaming voice of desire? Jesus is enough. His forgiveness, grace and guidance through the Holy Spirit is the only way desire will be silenced.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus. I wrestle daily with the attacks of desire on my thoughts and attitudes. I want it my way. I want to fill this hole in my soul with things I know are temporary fixes. Fill me with your Spirit and quiet the voice of human desire today. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 