ODJ: oh well

Eat, Our Daily Journey | September 15, 2011 12:01 am

September 15, 2011 


What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? (James 4:1).  

READ: Genesis 26:12-25 

I would rather work with pagans than with other Christians!”

My friend’s statement wouldn’t be particularly surprising for an agnostic or atheist to make. But he’s a minister. Why can believers in Jesus sometimes be so difficult and nasty? How does that resonate with the way Jesus told us to resolve conflict?

In ancient Mesopotamia, Abraham’s son Isaac showed a gracious way to deal with conflict that foreshadowed the radically peaceful ways of the not-yet-born Messiah. Although Isaac was an outsider in the land of the Philistines, he had become conspicuously wealthy. Out of spite, the locals filled in his wells. (That’s a big problem in an arid country!) To keep the peace, King Abimelech ordered Isaac to hit the trail (Genesis 26:16).

So Isaac moved and reopened wells his father had dug. The locals squawked about that too. But rather than fight, Isaac moved again. And again he experienced conflict with the residents over water rights. Finally, after a third move, Isaac found water and peace. Eventually, he would prosper more than ever.

It’s often difficult to know when to fight and when to move on. Jesus was a man of peace, who willingly sacrificed His life for us. Isaiah 53 prophesied how He would be “unjustly condemned” (v.8). He was “led like a lamb to the slaughter,” yet “He did not open His mouth” (v.7). But another Scripture states that there is also “a time for war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8).

For now, the apostle Paul gives us a worthy goal: “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

Lord, please help us to know when it’s time to dig in our heels for a noble cause, and when it’s time to relinquish what is rightfully ours, pack up, and dig another well. —Tim Gustafson

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What is causing conflict in your life today? Is it something worth fighting for? Are your motives pure regarding this matter? 
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