Tuesday, May 22, 2007

James 4--Conflict and a solution?

Where do quarrels and fights come from?
I've heard these verses presented before from Peacemaker Ministries in regards to Christians and conflict resolution. I have learned much about conflict resolution from their ministry. I tend to be a peace-faker, stuffing in my emotions and pretending all is well. But since learning about Biblical conflict resolution, I've come a long way in that regard. To provide a brief summary, there are 3 ways to solve conflict. You can be a peace-faker, a peace-breaker, or a peace-maker. Peace-faking and peace-breaking are unbiblical and do not leave to resolution.

Our pastor used these verses in his sermon last Sunday. I found his take on the verses profound. Have you ever noticed how many "you"s and "your"s are in these verses? It would seem to imply that the problem of conflict is directly related to how much of "YOU" is involved. When we are thinking of ourselves and not others, then conflict is more prevalent.

I realize that most of my conflict comes from my evil desires (my daily agenda, placing my own desires above those of others, immediate gratification, etc.) Fortunately, my hope rests on the "more grace" He gives to believers in v. 6. For His Glory, he has chosen to save a wretch like me! May I remember to place His desires and others before my own selfish and evil desires. One thing that helps me though is to train myself to serve others. If I am serving others, then I am less apt to pursue my own selfish desires.

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