Promise for Today - The Message of Reconciliation

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NIV

When you want to repair a relationship that’s been damaged by conflict, you have to focus on reconciliation, not resolution. And there’s a big difference between the two. 

Reconciliation means reestablishing the relationship. It doesn’t mean you’ll remarry your ex; it just means you’re at peace with each other.

Resolution means you resolve every disagreement—and that just isn’t going to happen. The truth is, there are some things in your marriage, your friendships, and your work relationships that you’re just never going to agree on—because we’re all different. But you can disagree without being disagreeable. That’s called maturity. That’s called wisdom. That’s called being like Christ.

We can have unity without uniformity. We can walk hand in hand together without seeing eye to eye. My wife, Kay, and I have been married for decades, and we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. But we walk hand in hand and support each other. We are at peace.

Here’s what I’ve learned from counseling married couples: If you focus on restoring your relationship, oftentimes the issues become insignificant. How many of your biggest arguments were over the smallest things? We fight about so many little things, but, in reality, the fights aren’t even about those things—they’re about bigger issues. Instead of trying to agree on every little issue, you need to get back to focusing on the relationship.

There’s a lot of conflict around us. Our world is filled with division, arguments, prejudice, racism, and partisanism. And as a result, we have broken relationships. We have broken economies, broken governments, broken marriages, broken lives, and broken hearts.

I challenge you as a believer to commit to becoming an agent of reconciliation in a world filled with conflict. Look for ways to bring people together rather than tear them apart.

Today's verses, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 in The Message, read, "All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them."

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have a ministry of reconciliation. It’s your job to go out in society and say, “God’s done everything to put you back in fellowship with him. He’s already paid for all your sins. You don’t have to be his enemy. He’s not mad at you. He’s mad about you.”

Be reconciled to God. Be at peace with God. Then spread that peace - His peace - to everybody else.

Talk It Over

What is an area of disagreement in one of your relationships that you have not been able to resolve?

What steps can you take to focus more on reconciling that relationship instead of attempting to resolve the issue?

How can you work to become an agent of reconciliation right where you are in your family, work, and community?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          You are the healer of broken hearts and the restorer of peace. Where there has been hurt, bring understanding. Where there has been distance, draw us closer. Soften our words, open our ears, and guide our steps toward one another. Help us to see through eyes of compassion, to speak with gentleness, and to forgive as freely as You forgive us. Let pride give way to humility, and bitterness to grace. May Your love be the bridge that reconnects us, and Your peace the foundation on which we rebuild. With You, we seek healing, and in Your strength, we choose to love again. Help us, O God; in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Where's This Leading?

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.

Matthew 5:10-12 (NLT)

When you feel pressured by the world because you love Jesus and other people don’t, you need to remember three things:

1. Opposition can make you more like Jesus.
Jesus says in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you” (NLT).

If you’re going to mature and be like Jesus, you’re going to have to go through the things Jesus went through, including loneliness, discouragement, stress, and temptation. Why would God spare you when he didn’t spare his own Son from those things?

2. Opposition will deepen your faith.
Your faith is like a muscle. A muscle doesn’t grow when you sit in a chair and eat popcorn. A muscle grows by being stretched, strained, and tested. You’re never going to grow a muscle if no weight is ever pulling in the opposite direction. If you don’t have opposition in your life, your faith is not growing. The strongest believers in the world right now are those who are having their faith tested the most. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:7, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (NLT).

3. Opposition will lead to eternal rewards.
Matthew 5:10-12 says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven” (NLT).

God will bless everyone who’s persecuted for living for him. But notice that you don’t get rewarded for being rude or obnoxious. If you live a self-righteous life when you get persecuted, you’re not a martyr; you’re a fool. Whenever you’re harassed for your faith, remember these three things: Opposition can make you more like Jesus, deepen your faith, and lead to eternal rewards in heaven.

Talk It Over

How have you responded to opposition of your faith? How has your response impacted your walk with God?

What does persecution look like in your culture?

How might God want you to pray for Christians all over the world who are persecuted?

by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           When the winds of resistance rise against us, steady our hearts in Your truth. Fill us with courage that does not waver, and peace that cannot be stolen. Help us to respond with wisdom instead of fear, grace instead of anger, and perseverance instead of surrender. Let Your light guide our steps, so we don't stumble in the shadows of doubt. Remind us that no opposition is greater than Your power within us. 
Strengthen our spirits to stand firm, and let our lives be a testimony of Your unfailing love and victory. 
In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Resolving Conflict

Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? . . . You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye. 

Matthew 7:3, 5 (NCV)

One of the most important life skills we need to learn is conflict resolution. If you don’t learn it, you’ll spend much of your life miserable. Why? Because we’re imperfect people and we have conflict almost every day of our lives.

To resolve conflict, you sometimes have to make the first move. And to do that, you’re going to have to ask for God’s help.

It takes courage to approach someone you are in conflict with and tell them you want to sit down and work it out. Once you’ve taken that step, you don’t start with what the other person has done wrong; you don’t make accusations or list ways you’ve been hurt. You start with what you’ve done wrong.

You can always find something to confess. Even if the conflict is 99.99 percent the other person’s fault, you can admit your part. Maybe it was your poor response or your attitude. Maybe it was the way you walked away. You have weaknesses in your life that others see clearly, but you’ve never seen. Those are your blind spots. That’s why you need to come to conflict resolution with a humble heart and begin with your own faults.

What’s the piece of wood in your eye that is keeping you from seeing the situation clearly? Did you cause conflict by being insensitive? Or were you overly sensitive? Did you not show compassion for the person who was hurting? Were you being overly demanding? What are your blind spots?

Once you figure them out and confess them, you’ll be ready for the next step in conflict resolution.

 
Talk It Over

What keeps us from seeing our own sin clearly?

How do you think it affects the other person when you start conflict resolution with confession rather than accusations?

Think of an unresolved conflict in your life. How will you move forward with resolving it? How will you make the first move?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          In the midst of discord, remind me of my imperfections. Fill my heart with humility, so that I may acknowledge my role in this conflict. Grant me the strength to let go of resentment and the courage to forgive those who have wronged me. May this act of forgiveness pave the way for reconciliation, healing, and a peaceful resolution. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen

Promise for Today - What Can You Expect?

A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his children after he is gone.

Proverbs 20:7 (GW)

The Bible says that God blesses those who have integrity—those who have pure hearts. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8 NIV). So what blessings can you expect when you live your life with authenticity and a pure heart?

You'll have the blessing of personal confidence.
When you have integrity, you become the kind of person that other people like to be around because you know who you are and where you’re going. Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed” (NLT). When you don’t have integrity, it’s like walking on an icy path after a snowstorm. You’re putting every bit of your energy into trying not to fall. But when you have integrity, you stand on solid ground.

You’ll have the blessing of leaving a lasting legacy.
Your greatest legacy is your integrity because it will last from generation to generation. Everything else you do gets lost. When you’re gone, your money will be divided and spent among your family. Your work will be given to somebody else. All the trophies you’ve earned will be thrown in the trash and taken to the dump. But your character is going to influence the lives of the people around you and even the lives of the next generation. It is a lasting legacy.  

You’ll have the blessing of rewards in eternity.
Matthew 25:21 says, “You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things” (NCV). We tend to think that rewards come from the big moments of life, when everybody is watching. But it’s the small moments that reveal real integrity. Every small word of encouragement you give this week, every small act of kindness, and every time you reject a temptation will be rewarded in eternity.

Integrity is powerful. It makes an incredible difference in your life, not just now, but for your life in eternity!

Talk It Over

Think of a time when you should have had integrity but didn’t. How were you affected emotionally, spiritually, and physically?

How does your integrity make a difference in the next generation?

What small acts can you do this week that no one will notice but will demonstrate your integrity to God?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

    Thank You for the gift of life and the influence You’ve entrusted to me. Help me to walk in Truth when no one is watching, to speak with honesty even when it costs me, and to act with fairness in every decision. Let my words be trustworthy, my actions consistent, and my heart pure before You. May my life inspire others to choose righteousness over convenience, and courage over compromise. When my time here is done, let the memory of my character point others toward Your goodness. May my children, friends, and community inherit not just my possessions, but the example of a life lived with unwavering integrity. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Image or Integrity

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

To “see God” means to experience the presence of God. Believers who have pure hearts get to feel the power of God. They experience the pardon of God. They get to know the purpose God has for their lives. They get to live in the peace of God.

Do you want to be one of those people? We don’t talk a lot these days about being pure in heart, but instead we use a word with a similar meaning: integrity. Are you working to build your life on values that last? If you are, you need to learn to live with integrity. To have integrity does not mean you are perfect, because if it did, none of us would have it! So what does it mean to have integrity?

Integrity is wholeness.
A lot of people think of their lives like a pie, and the different parts of their lives are the pieces of the pie. Someone might describe it like this: “This slice of the pie is my career. This is my work life. This is my spiritual life. Then this is my family life. That one is my social life. Then over here is my secret life—my compulsions, addictions, and secret sins—the things nobody else knows about.”

When you segment your life like that, you lack integrity because your life is not a whole. Integrity means you’re the same person everywhere and with everybody—in your speech, actions, and motives—no matter which part of life you’re walking through.

Integrity is uncorrupted motivation.
When you have integrity, you do the right thing for the right reason. You have unmixed, pure motives. You’re sincere and straightforward in every area of your life and with all people. You pray so you can talk with God, not so you can impress other people.

The Bible says, “The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity” (Proverbs 11:20 NLT).

We’re interested in image, but God is interested in integrity. We’re interested in reputation, but God is interested in character. Reputation has to do with what everybody thinks you are; integrity is what you really are. Your reputation is connected to who you appear to be in public; integrity is connected to who you are when you’re all alone with God.

Have you been more concerned about your image and reputation than your character and integrity? Commit to being a person of integrity today.

Talk It Over

Would the people in each area of your life—your co-workers, classmates, neighbors, family members, and friends—all use the same words to describe you? Why or why not?

Think of someone in your life who models integrity well. What is one specific habit you can learn from that person?

When are you most tempted to value and protect reputation over character? Why?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           We come before You today to ask for Your guidance and strength in maintaining integrity. Help us always walk in honesty and truth, even when it is challenging. Give us the courage to stand up for what is right, even in the face of opposition or criticism. Remind us that our integrity is important not only for our personal growth and development but also for the impact it can have on those around us. Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit and help us to renew our minds, so that we may always be a reflection of Your love and Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Practical Ways to Show Mercy

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7 (NLT)

God extends his mercy to us, even though we don’t deserve it and can’t earn it. All we have to do is ask for it: “O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive, so full of mercy for all who ask your aid” (Psalm 86:5 TLB).

How can you be merciful to others as God is merciful to you? Here are seven practical ways to demonstrate mercy in your life:

Be patient with people’s quirks. 

What person in your life has irritating quirks? How can you practice patience with them this week?

Help anyone around you who is hurting. 

Who around you is obviously hurting? What’s one specific way you can help that person? If you can’t think of anybody, then you’re not paying attention. Look closer!

Give people a second chance. 

Who do you need to give a second chance to? How can you put aside your own pain and give someone who’s hurt you a clean slate?

Do good to those who hurt you. 

Maybe you’re suffering from an old wound that you have not been able to let go of. You need to forgive and then turn it around for good. Who is that person in your life? How can you reach out to them in some way this week?

Be kind to those who offend you. 

Who offends you? Maybe it’s someone in the public eye. Maybe it’s a friend who has different views and says some pretty offensive things on social media. How can you be intentional about showing kindness to people who offend you?

Build bridges of love to the unpopular. 

When you think of an outcast, who is the first person that comes to mind? Who spends their lunch breaks eating alone or doesn’t seem to have any friends at soccer games? What specific thing can you do to bridge the gap between you and that person?

Value relationships over rules. 

Who is an unbeliever you could spend intentional time with over the next few weeks? Then consider inviting that person to church. This is your ministry of mercy.

Take some time to reflect on your answers today—that’s where you can begin showing mercy. God has already shown you mercy, and as you extend it to others, you’ll experience it in new ways.

Talk It Over

Which of these seven ways to show mercy comes most naturally to you?

Which of the seven ways to show mercy is most difficult for you? Why do you think that is?

How has someone shown mercy to you? What difference has it made in your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          You have shown us mercy beyond measure, forgiving our faults and embracing us with grace. 
Teach our hearts to mirror Your kindness, so that we may see others through eyes of compassion. When we are tempted to judge, remind us of the patience You have shown us. When we are hurt, help us to choose forgiveness over resentment. When we feel weary, renew our spirit to love without limits. Let our words bring healing; let our actions reflect understanding. Let Your love shine through us as a safe haven for the broken.  Shape us into a vessel of Your mercy, so that through us, others may encounter Your love.  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Agents of Mercy

The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.

James 3:17 (NLT)

Would you like to see your relationships transformed? Then become an agent of mercy.

Here are seven characteristics of mercy that God wants us to learn and apply in our lives:

1. Mercy means being patient with people’s quirks.
How do you become more patient with your kids, spouse, coworkers, or friends? You ask God for his wisdom. The Bible says in James 3:17, "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere." (NLT).

2. Mercy means helping anyone around you who is hurting.
You cannot love your neighbor as yourself without being merciful. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it” (GNT)—and when showing mercy, “do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:8 NIV).

3. Mercy means giving people a second chance.
When somebody hurts us, it’s normal to want to get even or write that person off. But the Bible says, “Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others . . . Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ” (Ephesians 4:31-32 CEV).

4. Mercy means doing good to those who hurt you.
Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve, because that’s what God does with us: “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. . . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 NIV).

5. Mercy means being kind to those who offend you.
You’ve got to be more interested in winning people to Christ than in winning the argument. Jude 1:22-23 says, “Show mercy to those who have doubts . . . even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives” (GW).

6. Mercy means building bridges of love to the unpopular.
When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other unpopular people, Jesus said, “‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:13 NLT).

7. Mercy means valuing relationships over rules.
Romans 13:10 says, “Love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (NLT). If you want to show mercy, put people before policies; put others’ needs before procedures; put relationships before regulations. Choose love over law.

Showing mercy doesn’t always come naturally. And so, in tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll discuss specific ways you can demonstrate mercy in your own life.

Talk It Over

Why do we so often try to win the argument instead of trying to win people to Christ?

If mercy means valuing relationships over rules, what do you need to change about the way you interact with your spouse, children, coworkers, or those with different political beliefs?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Fill our hearts with Your tenderness, that we may see others through eyes of understanding, not judgment. Teach us to listen with patience, to forgive without keeping count, and to offer kindness even when it is not returned. When we are tempted to turn away, remind us of the mercy You have shown to us.  Let our words bring comfort, our hands bring help, and Your presence bring peace. May our lives be a reflection of Your boundless love, so that mercy flows from us as naturally as breath. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.