Glorifying God Through Conflict and Forgiveness

Devotional

Day 1: The Problem of the Horizontal Heart

In our daily lives, we often encounter conflicts and disagreements. It's easy to focus on the horizontal aspect of these conflicts - blaming others, focusing on the problem, and seeking to defend ourselves. However, the Bible calls us to a different approach. We are called to focus on the vertical aspect - seeking God's guidance, understanding His will, and striving to reflect His love and grace in our interactions with others.

Matthew 7:3-5 - "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent conflict you had. Did you focus more on the horizontal aspect (blaming others, focusing on the problem) or the vertical aspect (seeking God's guidance)? How can you shift your focus to the vertical dimension in future conflicts?

Day 2: Seeking God's Guidance in Conflict

When we face conflicts, it's easy to rely on our own understanding and judgment. However, the Bible encourages us to seek God's guidance in every situation. His wisdom and understanding are far greater than ours, and He can guide us to a resolution that is just and fair.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Reflection: Can you recall a time when you sought God's guidance during a conflict? How did it change the outcome? Moving forward, how can you consistently seek God's wisdom in resolving conflicts?

Day 3: Living for God's Glory

As Christians, our ultimate goal should be to live for God's glory. This means that our actions, words, and attitudes should reflect His love, grace, and truth. In our relationships, we should strive to put off self-centered attitudes and act on God's principles.

1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Reflection: How have your actions in your relationships reflected God's glory recently? Are there areas where you can draw more on God's grace to put off self-centered attitudes and act on God's principles?

Sermon Summary

In this sermon, I was reminded of the importance of glorifying God in all aspects of life, especially during times of conflict. The sermon emphasized the concept of the "horizontal heart," which refers to our tendency to focus on ourselves and others during conflict, rather than looking upward to God. The speaker highlighted the importance of asking ourselves, "Where is God in this situation?" and "What would please and honor God in this situation?" during times of conflict. The sermon also emphasized the transformative power of the gospel, which can change how we respond to conflict and other challenging situations.

The sermon also delved into the concept of forgiveness, using the parable of the unmerciful servant from Matthew 18 as an example. The speaker emphasized that understanding and appreciating the gospel can transform our relationships and our responses to conflict. The sermon concluded with a call to prayer, asking God to fill us with His spirit and to guide us in the path of peace.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

1. "We have learned that conflict builds up walls and tears down relationships. We can be either peacepakers, peaceprakers, or peacemakers. We also learned about the important first question in a conflict. Can I overlook the offense?" - 01:03

2. "As Christians, we are called to the higher ground of glorifying God in and everything we do. But the problem we have is that we don't tend to take what we believe in church on Sunday mornings and live it out during the rest of the week." - 02:29

3. "Jesus is saying that relationships get easy in your life when the gospel gets big in your heart. So how has the gospel changed you in this way? Is the gospel big in your heart?" - 08:28

4. "If we don't look to God in our conflict, we'll have to make do with our limited resources. And instead of looking for God's help and creative insights, we'll remain locked into the options that we can think of on our own." - 09:39

5. "God uses conflict to stretch and challenge us to carefully tailor us in ways. This process is sometimes referred to the ABCs of spiritual growth. As you and I worry less about going through conflict and focus more on growing through conflict, we will enhance that process and experience the incomparable blessing of being conformed to the likeness of Christ." - 17:47

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?