Day 25
Tuesday, March 30
The Way Through Disagreement
One of the most common disagreements that my siblings and I had growing up was whether or not a word was real when playing Scrabble. To help us resolve these disagreements, our parents got us a Scrabble dictionary for Christmas one year. Maybe when you were younger you too had disagreements over a game, but as we grow older our disagreements often happen over things larger than a board game. So how do we resolve disagreements when a dictionary or rulebook can’t tell us the correct answer? Thankfully, we have the greatest book: the Bible. From the Old Testament to the New, God addresses how to bring resolution to disagreements.
In Leviticus, we are told not to seek revenge or bear a grudge; instead, love your neighbor as yourself. In a disagreement, it may be tempting to bear a grudge against the other person, but the way through disagreement is to seek a resolution by loving them as yourself. In the New Testament, Jesus talks about how to seek resolution. In the verses from Matthew, it is seen that first, you must go directly to the person you are having a disagreement with. Do not air all your disagreements on social media or vent to everyone else but that person. When you have a disagreement with someone, do not approach them in anger; rather, approach them in love as Matthew 5:43-48 says to do. Go to them to seek resolution. Talk through your disagreement in a loving way and watch how God helps to heal the relationship.
-Zoe Kelly
Bible Reading for the Day:
Think and Act:
1. If there is someone you are currently in a disagreement with, how can you take a step to resolve that disagreement based upon today’s devotion and Bible reading?
2. What are some practical ways (based upon today’s reading)that you can resolve disagreements in the future in a biblical way?