Getting Along

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

The Bible doesn't tell us "one anothers" to just get along with one another. The apostle Paul calls us to a higher standard than just getting along. He tells us in Philippians 2:1-2 to have the same mind, the same love, and to be one in spirit and purpose. Your life's testimony is validated by how well you get along with other people at work, church, school, and first and foremost those people in your own house.

Love really doesn't look like love when it's accompanied by arguments, fighting, and ongoing disputes. Now, we all know that anytime you put people together there are going to be conflicts. I've been married 38 years this summer to Dianne and even though we vowed "till death do us part," we have had conflicts. The issue isn't if you're going to have conflicts, it's how are you going to work them out?

Can I give you a couple of suggestions on how to handle conflicts with other people?
1) Take your conflicts to Jesus. In other words pray about it. Pray that both sides will yield their rights to Jesus. We can have differing opinions about things but it is His opinion that ultimately matters. Submit yourself to Jesus and let Him wash away your divisions and arguments with His love. See James 4:1-7 for further insight.

2) Agree to agree with Jesus. If someone comes to your mind with whom you need to work out a difference don't try to get them to agree with you, you agree with what God tells you to do about the difference between you them. You are called to love them and pray for them that God will open their hearts to wisdom and understanding about the conflict.