Conflict occurs, even within the body of Christ. This daily devotional looks at division within the body and how we can strengthen ourselves to avoid it.
Nuggets
- Disciples are to watch to ensure divisions are not created within the body of Christ.
- Obedience, wisdom, and purity will help us remain strong.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Transformed to Perfection series
Devotions in the On Being a Minister series
The last thing we want to have as a ministry in conflict. Paul gave us some things to look for in Romans 16.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Watch for Divisive People
“Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words” (Rom. 16: 17-18 CSB)
Disciples are to watch to ensure divisions are not created within the body of Christ.
Lyth described the character of those we are to avoid. We are to stay away from people who are looking to cause trouble.
Resource
God wants us to be unified. He does not want us to look for things that divide us.
Sometimes things happen in the moment. It could go from anywhere on a continuum of breathe-and-overlook-the-offense to blow-the-offense-out-of-proportion to anywhere in between.
God wants us to live together in harmony. That means He wants us to work through it to reach a peaceful conclusion.
Worst of all, some people choose to pervert God’s doctrines. They want to compromise with the worldview. They deceive with their words and actions to cover impure motives.
God will not lower his standards. His laws and commandments will remain firm.
We have to be very careful we don’t fall for false doctrines. To ensure this, we have to know what God’s Word says. That means reading, hearing, and studying His Word. Yes, seeking God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
Spurgeon warned us what can happen when the false doctrine is brought into the church. He wrote, “So, if you permit one sin or false doctrine in a Church knowingly and wittingly, none can tell the extent to which that evil may ultimately go.”
Resource
The purging of that false doctrine once it gets a toehold is going to be hard. It would be much better to keep it out in the first place.
I know. Easy to say. Especially when Satan is the master of sneaky plays to get us to sin.
Paul warned that we need to evaluate motives. We can’t be snowed by flowery language.
Well, it doesn’t always have to be that flowery, does it? Robinson reminded us that they can pretend to be interested in our welfare. Main word – pretend.
Resource
We will have to watch very carefully — very prayerfully.
A Three-Pronged Approach
“The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil” (Rom. 16: 19 CSB)
Obedience, wisdom, and purity will help us remain strong.
Okay. Let’s get this out of the way first.
- Obedience means to hear, conform to, and carry out the instructions that God gives us.
- Wisdom is an enlightened acceptance of God’s principles that leads to knowledge, discernment, and good sense that is put into practice through salvation, increasing our goodness and virtue.
- Discernment means we can evaluate the situation and recognize right from wrong.
- Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
o Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
o Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
o Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
o God’s goodness is His holy, pure, and righteous behavior.- Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
We want to be in compliance with what God wants. It does bring great satisfaction, as Lyth said.
Resource
Robinson cautioned that we need to guard our obedience. He wrote, “The greater the grace received the more need of caution.”
Resource
Hmmmm. What is that talking about?
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband—to present a pure virgin to Christ” (II Cor. 11: 2 CSB).
Okay. That muddies the waters. Kind of. Stowell wrote, “There is a sense in which God Himself is said to be jealous over His people. For God will endure no rival. And the faithful ambassador may be allowed to indulge his Master’s feeling. It was such a sentiment that filled the heart of Paul here.”
Resource
When we were talking about God’s attributes, we said God’s jealousy means He does not tolerate His creation being unfaithful by worshiping anything other than Him.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
When we are growing closer to God, Satan will be trying even harder to try to get us to sin. So, the more obedient we are, the more of God’s grace to which we have access.
More obedient. More grace. More temptation.
We need the wisdom to discern how to not give into the temptation and stay pure.
Making the Connections
Satan wants the church to fail. He would love most of all for it to implode from the inside. If he could get us to rip ourselves apart, he would really feel like he has won a great battle.
How Do We Apply This?
- Make sure we are going in God’s direction in both thought and feeling.
- Meditate on what God wants us to do.
- Binney said to use grace to increase faith.
Resource
Father God. We want to grow in faith in You. We want to remain obedient to Your laws and commandments. Give us strength to resist Satan when he tries to see conflict among Your people. Help us to love one another through the challenges. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.