Building One Another  

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

Would you rather be right or reconciled?

Dear Friend,                  

I once attended a city-wide prayer gathering and heard the preacher, Joseph Garlington, ask a life-challenging, life-changing question:

Would you rather be right or reconciled?

Would you rather stand your position, your convictions and your pain or would you rather be reconciled? That can be a very challenging question in our day!

It’s becoming increasingly common for us on all sides of an issue or a situation to buy into a culture of contempt. It’s always easier to criticize than to advance and resolve.

This isn’t a question of abandoning your viewpoints or ignoring your pain, but it is a question of how you go about valuing people and looking for a path to reconciliation, of showing respect even when you differ from them.

How might you go about sustaining or repairing relationships without sacrificing what you hold to be true?

“God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ.” In mercy, our Lord has withheld penalty we deserve and offers reconciliation. Will you be a person of mercy?

To pursue reconciliation, to show value and dignity to people you may not believe deserve it, consider offering mercy, the same mercy you have received in your life.

Joy to you - Stan

© Copyright 2021 E. Stanley Ott

Scripture from the ESV

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What is a situation or two in which you found what you hold to be true or a painful situation separated you from another person.

What are the reasons to hold on to your viewpoint? How might you go about sustaining or repairing relationships without sacrificing what you hold to be true?

What language do you use in reference to those you disagree with? How could you use language that respects their dignity even in your disagreement?

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Photo by Teigan Rodger on Unsplash