Relationships are always worth restoring!
"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you ... Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends." Philippians 2:1-2 (Msg)
Because life is all about learning how to love, God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict.
Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker.
Here are seven Biblical steps to restoring fellowship:
- Talk to God before talking to the person.
- Always take the initiative.
- Sympathize with their feelings.
- Confess your part of the conflict.
- Attack the problem, not the person.
- Cooperate as much as possible.
- Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.
Who do you need to contact as a result of reading this today? With whom do you need to restore fellowship? Don't delay another second. Pause right now and talk to God about that person. Then pick up the phone and begin the process.
It takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship. That's why Peter urged, "Work hard at living in peace with others." 1 Peter 3:11 (NLT)
But when you work for peace, you are doing what God would do. That's why God calls peacemakers his children.