Getting Along with Each Other (1)
If you keep bailing out of relationships every time they hit troubled waters, get used to your own company—it’s the only company you’ll have! The best relationship you can hope for is an imperfect one you keep working on every day. Relationships can’t be based on seeing eye-to-eye on everything, but on a commitment to love each other and a willingness to work for peace. Jesus said, ‘God blesses those who work for peace...’ (Matthew 5:9 NLT) Notice, peacemaking is ‘work’, but the rewards are worth it. Relationships are always worth restoring. God wants us to value our relationships instead of walking away every time there’s a problem. Paul wrote, ‘Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?...Any fellowship together in the Spirit?…Then [agree] wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose...’ (Philippians 2:1–2 NLT) Our ability to get along with each other is a mark of spiritual maturity. God wants His family to be known for their love. Arguments and fights send the wrong message to a watching world. Paul was embarrassed when the church in Corinth started to split and take each other to court. He wrote ‘Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person… who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians.’ (1 Corinthians 6:5 GNT) He was shocked and disappointed that nobody was mature enough to resolve the conflict peacefully. So he wrote, ‘...be of one mind, united in thought and purpose…’