Navigating Life together
It doesn’t matter how gifted you are if you are difficult to get on with, your gifts are of no value. Martin Lloyd Jones
Good relationships are difficult but essential
God redeems your life and places you into his family
Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
There is no finish line with Comparison
John 21:22 What is that to you? You must follow me
God change my focus from: What about me? to What about others!
What to do you get angry about?
Anger is the proper emotion for injustice
Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath!
Proverbs 29:11 Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
Proverbs 19:11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Luke 9:51 Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him
Luke 9:53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:54 When the disciples James and John saw this
Luke 9:54 they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”
Luke 9:55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
This is not a big deal
If you are going to follow me, you can’t be easily offended.
Do not be hasty in your spirit to be offended, for resentment resides in the bosom of fools. Ecc. 7:9
Anger is extraordinarily easy, it’s our default setting. Love is very difficult, love is a miracle. Brant Hansen
Jesus over, under-reacted
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Phil. 2:5-7 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing (emptied himself) by taking the very nature of a servant,
Matt. 18:15 If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over
Gal. 6:1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Say what you mean, but don’t say it mean
Ps. 58:6, 8 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!… May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along
Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge. Let him sort out vengeance
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Forgiveness and Prayer works in our hearts and heals our community