A Place God Can Work

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:14–15

If you live and work with other human beings, you’ll be pretty familiar with the fact that egos will flare, grumbling will happen, ambition will rear its head, and misunderstandings will occur. We’re all human and we all have flesh to refuse if we want to walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:6). Such relational strife is very real even for Christians—but I have great news for you. Strife can be a beautiful opportunity to love the way Jesus loves.

People-loving is the work of Christ—and this work brings challenges and growth. God’s Word offers guidelines for dealing with strife. The basic instruction is simple: love one another (1 John 4:7).

Loving one another, however, is more than just warm fuzzies. Loving one another means doing the specific work of 1 Corinthians 13, the work of being patient, kind, longsuffering, without envy, and more. Read that chapter to see how to act when conflict arises. Let your words, actions, and decisions reflect Jesus. Whenever strife begins, thank God for this opportunity to put His love into action.

Lord, when I encounter relational trouble, use me to bring forgiveness, grace, and love. Let me do it in Your power.