Resolving Personal Conflict: the Power of Three Parties
God can do things, God does things beyond what you can ask or think in your life and in the life and hearts of others.
Season 8, Episode 28 · Resolving Personal Conflict - The Power of Three Parties
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The story behind the idea
Even as you go about making an effort in these things or trying to get your heart in a right place to make a better effort, please be prayerful for God's help, for the Holy Spirit's help, for the Son of God's leadership in your life. God can do things, God does things beyond what you can ask or think in your life and in the life and hearts of others. Even though you may write it off as a lost cause, God writes off no souls as lost cause as long as there is an opportunity to repent.
What stands out
Aren't we supposed to love and have patience and grace and gentleness like Jesus? Aren't our fellow believers in particular parts of Christ's body? That if I cold shoulder them or I gossip about them or I refuse to extend my hand to them, I'm effectively striking them with my wrath, and I'm striking at Christ's own body.
Why it matters
We'll go ahead and spell this out here before we go to our Old Testament story. You have someone who has done wrong and they need to recognize it and they need to want to do what's right.
A faithful way forward
If you're on the other side of this and someone has done you wrong, what standard are you holding against them? It was assumed here that Philemon was a child of God, that he had received the mercy of the Lord, and that faithfulness was important. That should feed into the receiving and the forgiving.
Put it into practice
Even after you defend yourself a little bit, you then need to relax and let this thing play out for the better of the collective and not just self. Number two, for the one who has been offended, which again typically means both parties, and let's say you're right about that.
Take the idea with you.
- 01What idea from this study most needs my attention right now?
- 02Where does this challenge the way I am currently thinking or living?
- 03What is one faithful step I can take this week?
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