ConneCtion CaRd
Friday Disagreeing with Love
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I made a decision today to: Receive Christ as my Savior. Recommit my life to Christ.
Read Philippians 2:1–4. Parents and children disagree about curfews, discipline, friends, chores, etc. Siblings argue about what’s fair—or not—and who gets which seat on the car ride. No matter the size of your family, you’re bound to have conflict! Numerous personalities inevitably bring disagreements, but they don’t have to be damaging. They can actually strengthen your relationships with each other and with God. The Bible gives us some simple and helpful tips on how to disagree. First, identify the problem. Discover the driving emotions or desires creating the disagreement: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). Second, remember your own faults: “Take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly” (Matthew 7:5). Third, think of the other person’s interests instead of your own (Philippians 2:4).
This week, when conflict arises between you and a family member, pray that the Lord helps you resolve it using these biblical principles.
Saturday A Home of Faith Read Deuteronomy 11:18–20. In verse 20, the Lord says His words should be written on our doorframes and gates. So, how do we create a home today with God as its foundation? First, home should be a place of forgiveness and acceptance—even when someone’s crabby or a comment hurts. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another. … Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Second, home should be a place of prayer. Like the early Christians in Acts prayed together, you and your family can pray together on a regular basis. Third, home should be a place of unconditional love and acceptance: “Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). And lastly, home can be a place of worship in which you’re constantly giving thanks to the Lord for all of His blessings, even in the midst of life’s challenges (1 Peter 1:6).
Memorize Proverbs 14:26 and pray that as a mother or father you create a joyous, accepting, faith-filled refuge for your children or grandchildren.