dailyscriptureblog.com

by Jon Walker

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)

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The Bible doesn’t tell us “one anothers” to just get along with one another. Even the worst of enemies can bury their differences for a short time when it’s beneficial for meeting a mutual goal.

But God, sending a note through our big brother, Paul, calls us to a higher standard than just getting along: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2 NIV).

Our testimonies are validated by how we get along with other believers – that is, how we get along with one another in our congregations, our small groups, our choir rehearsals, our deacon/elder meetings, not to mention our families. Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35 NIV).

Yet, love doesn’t look much like love when it’s accompanied by arguments and disputes and constant fighting. My spiritual mentor, Steve Pettit, notes this is perhaps the hardest aspect of authentic Christian fellowship – because conflicts arise every time people are thrown together. Even a man and a woman who vow to love one another until “death do us part” can’t always see eye-to-eye.

It’s understandable, then, when a group of people who have nothing in common, except for the Jesus-life inside them, find it difficult to agree with one another all the time, perhaps even difficult to agree even one time.

What does this mean?

• Take your disputes to Jesus. We may have differing opinions, but on this one thing we must agree: Jesus is the head and his opinions are the only ones that matter (James 4:7). As we submit to Jesus, he will wash away our divisions and disputes with love that flows from the fountain of God.

• Agree to agree with Jesus. Has God brought to mind someone with whom you need to work out some differences? Instead of trying to make the other person agree with you, agree with God and submit to what God tells you to do. If God so leads, tell those on the other side of a conflict or dispute that you are willing to submit to the will of Jesus and encourage them to do the same.

Worry weighs us down;
a cheerful word picks us up.

Proverbs 12:25 (The Message)

An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.

Proverbs 12:25 (New International Version)

Worry weighs a person down;
an encouraging word cheers a person up.

A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.

Proverbs 15:1 (New Living Translation

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 (New International Version)

A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

Proverbs 15:1 (The Message)

Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit-you choose.

Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21 (New King James Version)

The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.

Proverbs 9:9 (New Living Translation)

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Proverbs 9:9 (New International Version)

Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it;
tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.

Proverbs 9:9 (The Message)

I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56:4 (New Living Translation)

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 56:4 (New International Version)

I’m proud to praise God;
fearless now, I trust in God.
What can mere mortals do?

Psalm 56:4 (The Message)

by Max Lucado

Your God is a Good God

by Max Lucado

Use your uniqueness to take great risks for God!

The only mistake is not to risk making one.

Such was the error of the one-talent servant. Did the master notice him? Indeed, he did. And from the third servant we learn a sobering lesson. “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground’ ” (Matt. 25: 24–25).

Contrast the reaction of the third servant with that of the first two.

The faithful servants “went and traded” (v. 16). The fearful one “went and dug” (v. 18).

The first two invested. The last one buried.

The first two went out on a limb. The third hugged the trunk.

The master wouldn’t stand for it. Brace yourself for the force of his response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest” (vv. 26–27).

Whoa. What just happened? Why the blowtorch? Find the answer in the missing phrase. The master repeated the assessment of the servant, word for word, with one exclusion. Did you note it? “I knew you to be a hard man” (v. 24). The master didn’t repeat the description he wouldn’t accept.

The servant levied a cruel judgment by calling the master a hard man. The servant used the exact word for “hard” that Christ used to describe stiff-necked and stubborn Pharisees (see Matt. 19:8; Acts 7:51). The writer of Hebrews employed the term to beg readers not to harden their hearts (3:8). The one-talent servant called his master stiff-necked, stubborn, and hard.

His sin was not mismanagement, but misunderstanding. Was his master hard? He gave multimillion-dollar gifts to undeserving servants; he honored the two-talent worker as much as the five; he stood face to face with both at homecoming and announced before the audiences of heaven and hell, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Was this a hard master? Infinitely good, graciously abundant, yes. But hard? No.

The one-talent servant never knew his master. He should have. He lived under his roof and shared his address. He knew his face, his name, but he never knew his master’s heart. And, as a result, he broke it.

Who is this unprofitable servant? If you never use your gifts for God, you are. If you think God is a hard God, you are.

For fear of doing the wrong thing for God, you’ll do nothing for God. For fear of making the wrong kingdom decision, you’ll make no kingdom decision. For fear of messing up, you’ll miss out. You will give what this servant gave and will hear what this servant heard: “You wicked and lazy servant” (v. 26).

But you don’t have to. It’s not too late to seek your Father’s heart. Your God is a good God.