Conflict happens. It is part of living in a fallen world and amongst fallen people. When you experience conflict are you likely to bring people into the situation that are going to support you and agree with you and your point of view or are you going to seek counsel from those that will be unwilling to take up sides but instead who can and will keep pointing you to the cross and the gospel?
Recently, I shared a struggle I was having with some friends who I knew would challenge me to think about God's grace and how to think biblically about my situation. But knowing it and experiencing is two different things. When one of the women made a suggestion that would completely turn the tables back on me, I initially shuddered. That is not at all what I was looking for but within a few moments I was at peace with her suggestion. In fact, I started to get a greater vision of what God was up to in my life and my situation. That evening we were reading from "A Gospel Primer for Christians" and I could sense growing anticipation that God was going to use this situation for His purposes and my good. I went home and searched through the small little book for every morsel that was even remotely relative to my immediate situation when I came across the following quote:
"More than anything else I could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.
Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me. "A Gospel Primer for Christians" (by Milton Vincent, pg 31-32)
I have shared with my husband, who is my greatest fan, that I don't need him to feed my flesh by taking up my banner and defense, I need him to speak the gospel into my life. Seek out people that will speak truth into your life not those that will agree with you and further entrench your own fleshly response.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Ephesians 4:15
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29
Diane
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