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- Apr 25, 2006
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Showing grace (1)
'LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE GRACIOUS.' COLOSSIANS 4:6
You can try your best to 'live at peace with everyone' (Romans 12:18 NIV), but even so:
1) Conflicts and arguments will still happen. After all, life would be boring if we all ate the same food, wore the same clothes and watched the same channel. That's why there are so many ice cream flavours and styles of music! It's just as easy to be kind but firm or tactful and gracious as it is to be rude, critical and upset everyone. That's especially true when you need to tell someone they did wrong. Paul says, 'If a Christian is overcome by...sin, you who are godly...humbly help him back onto the right path' (Galatians 6:1 TLB).
2) Even Christians won't always agree. If you see the world in black and white it's hard to understand how two mature Christians can seem to have such different opinions on so many subjects. When there are so many opinions you can't agree with everyone but that's ok. God is gracious and puts up with our silly arguments and even when we're wrong about stuff, He still loves and blesses us! Maybe real maturity is about loving those who are wrong and choosing your battles carefully!
3) Every point of view has a point. Growing up, most of us were taught that someone is right and someone is wrong and if you're right you get praised and if you're wrong you get told off. In reality it's often more like 'I-see-it-this-way-and-you-see-it-that-way'. So before you go letting people know who's right and who's wrong have a think; 'Can I let somebody else be "right" sometimes, without backing down on what I believe?'
written by Bob Gass
'LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE GRACIOUS.' COLOSSIANS 4:6
You can try your best to 'live at peace with everyone' (Romans 12:18 NIV), but even so:
1) Conflicts and arguments will still happen. After all, life would be boring if we all ate the same food, wore the same clothes and watched the same channel. That's why there are so many ice cream flavours and styles of music! It's just as easy to be kind but firm or tactful and gracious as it is to be rude, critical and upset everyone. That's especially true when you need to tell someone they did wrong. Paul says, 'If a Christian is overcome by...sin, you who are godly...humbly help him back onto the right path' (Galatians 6:1 TLB).
2) Even Christians won't always agree. If you see the world in black and white it's hard to understand how two mature Christians can seem to have such different opinions on so many subjects. When there are so many opinions you can't agree with everyone but that's ok. God is gracious and puts up with our silly arguments and even when we're wrong about stuff, He still loves and blesses us! Maybe real maturity is about loving those who are wrong and choosing your battles carefully!
3) Every point of view has a point. Growing up, most of us were taught that someone is right and someone is wrong and if you're right you get praised and if you're wrong you get told off. In reality it's often more like 'I-see-it-this-way-and-you-see-it-that-way'. So before you go letting people know who's right and who's wrong have a think; 'Can I let somebody else be "right" sometimes, without backing down on what I believe?'
written by Bob Gass
