Power Of Disagreements

Key Scripture:  " Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." James 2:17,18

Power Point:

I don't know about you but I have become more and more conscious of how we speak to each other. Holy Spirit has been tweaking my consciousness about how I agree to disagree.

I find that we are very disagreeable "disagreers". I have friends who don't worship the same way I do, but they're good people.  I'm one of those Word people who believes that God will do what He says He will do. That doesn't mean that I separate myself from someone who doesn't agree with my opinions. I am always asking Holy Spirit to let His loving wisdom shine through what I say.  

    Satan can use our disagreements and the way we disagree to destroy unity among Christians. He will use it among families. I'm right! You're wrong! I don't have to listen to you because I can justify my position,  Because I can prove it.  

    In fact, I CAN prove I'm right on this one.  Throughout the entire New Testament we hear things like "pursue peace with all men"-not just with Christians; not just your family; not just the people you like.   ALL men.  ALL men includes all men (and of course, women).  It means that you take the initiative to pursue peace. Period. Peace with your boss.  Peace with your neighbor.  Peace with those of a different faith. Peace with those of a different political persuasion. Peace with people of a different color or attitude or- WHATEVER!
      Have we forgotten to "speak the Truth in love"?

    The thing is that when we allow ourselves to be divided and disagreeable in any way, we are not ambassadors for Christ are we?  When Jesus said that He had shown them the Father's heart- He was modeling that for us.

    It challenges God's credibility when we refuse to act from a heart of love, joy, peace, and everything else that He is.

     One thing I have learned about my Lord is that He is always courteous to me. He is always honoring to me.  He never puts me down. He never says "You're wrong!" (comma, dummy). He never tells me I'm stupid. He says, "Hmm. you may want to think about this differently", gives me a hug, and then sends me off to discover that He was right all along.

   Honor and respect are key ingredients of God's personality.  I can be as right as right can be and still not get a blessing from my right opinions if I am not gentle, kind, gracious, reasonable and wise. Rest assured that I had to learn the right way by going a lot of wrong ways!

   Okay, I have a personal God lesson.   I was just talking to my daughter and out of my mouth came these words, "Well that was kind but she just wasn't thinking." And she replied, "Well, she wasn't thinking what YOU were thinking." Busted.

    Ah well, remember these hard learned lessons have to be filtered down through me first.

     Personally I like what someone has said, "Reason is my ability to convince them in the power and demeanor of the Holy Spirit who then convicts them."  My ultimate assignment is to speak the truth in love.  The pursuit of peace is my ultimate assignment, and yours. It is clear in Amos 3:3  "two people cannot walk together unless they be agreed."  And God wants to walk together with everyone.

    Has anyone but me noticed that we've forgotten to turn the other cheek, and to bless our enemy? The television, our government, is filled with hateful, disrespectful rhetoric that slices away at any cords of unity.  The "enemy" "( the one you disagree with) is vilified and torn to shreds. The media continually shows only one side of the controversy without respectfully representing the other side.

     Beloved, whoever compels you to walk with them one mile, offer to go with him two.

     Is our nation too far gone in the wrong way of disunity and disrespect and no peace? Can you and I make a difference in how we address "testy" issues. Could it be as simple as Christ's body acting with less pride and more humility and each of us offering up the sacrifice of pursuing peace?  He did.

I don't have to agree with someone's theology or whether or not they are Democrats or Republicans, but I am to honor and respect each individual.

    When God's wisdom is sent from above, it's first of all pure; then it is peace loving, courteous, (considerate, gentle) It is willing to yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits (God fruits).  Could we be declared guilty of that?

Author/singer Judy Jacobs wrote "God is always looking for someone who will be the change agent to bring the change!" That should be every one of us, shouldn't it?

  Is anybody ready to agree with God and jump in and start changing things? It begins with love doesn't it? Perfect love. I was thinking about that recently. God loves Mormons. He loves Jews.  God loves Charismatics.  God loves Baptists. God loves Democrats.  God loves Republicans and Tea Party members.  He loves Americans and He loves Germans and Swedes and Iranians, and Malaysians.  God loves everybody, It's just His way.  He spreads His message through Love. All you have to do is take a look at Jesus.  It began that way and it will always be that way. He persuades people to His perspective through peaceful, loving, courteous, considerate, and gentle wisdom, which He also offers to us freely-so that we can offer it to someone else in exactly the same way!

Power Thought:

Will you be the change agent to bring change?

Did you know that "Power UP!", the book, is available on Amazon.com?