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Never Quit Because of Someone Else

It's going to happen eventually if it hasn't happened already: someone is going to irritate you, insult you, provoke you, infuriate you, or do something else that makes you feel like you're being run out of town on a rail! Don't fall for it. It's nothing more than the old enemy tactic of trying to get us to engage in "friendly fire." What a strange term. I can't figure out what's friendly about being fired upon!

What should you do when you want to run away from your church home because of a conflict with another person?

1. Don't. You do realize that all churches have people in them, right? When you find the First Baptist Church of No People, you haven't found a church. Stay in your church home. Too many people have left a good church in search of a better one, only to end up out of church all together. Let the Lord strengthen you by staying put. "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small." (Prov. 24:10)

2. Aim for restoration. If you know that you did something wrong, make it right. If you can't figure out what the problem is, give the person the benefit of the doubt and assume that God will work things out in due season. Stay pleasant and courteous until then, even if "then" is very far away. "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." (Prov. 16:20)

3. Forgive. Maybe it's you that needs to do some forgiving? Forgiveness is imitating Christ, so how Christ-like do you want to be? We run into problems when we think that a person has "run out of chances" to be forgiven by us.  "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seventy times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:21-22)

Never quit  your church because of people problems. Forgive, drop it, love and stay put. Remind yourself that fellow church members are your church family, and we don't abandon family members. Put the weapons of anger down. There is no such thing as painless friendly fire.

"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirst, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee." (Prov. 25:21-22)

www.keeptheheart.com

Comments

  1. KEEP THE HEARTOctober 29, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    From Leigh Ann Cook White-Oct 29, 2012-2:29pm
    Agreed! I also suggest: If you've offended someone not on purpose (sometimes you can tell) go to them asap to make it right. Don't wait because many times they will make it multiple the offense in their mind--and often drag others into being mad at you. Let the Spirit lead you as to right time/place but don't put it off thinking it will blow over.

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