DAILY BYTE
Do you struggle in relationships? Do you get frustrated that the world seems to be full of arguing? How do we learn to approach relationships like these in ways that bring life to ourselves and to others?
It seems that the apostle, Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians has given us a clue.
Read this excerpt from Scripture -1 Corinthians 1:1-11, and see if you notice something curious and maybe even radical about the way Paul approaches his relationship with a church community, with people he loves and with whom he is frustrated over their quarreling:
Paul, called {as} an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their {Lord} and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's {people,} that there are quarrels among you…
Before any mention of the quarrels among these people he loves – before any mention of the ways that they are being unfaithful to the teachings of the faith -instead of cursing them, Paul thanks God for them.
Before having a difficult conversation with someone or before a quarrel, how often do we stop and thank God for the other person? I can, of course, only speak for myself, but I feel as though this is a rare phenomenon.
Think today, however, about how giving thanks for someone and the work that God is doing in and through them before criticizing them, arguing with them, or simply disagreeing with them might change our entire perspective, as we begin interactions with others by noticing that they are valuable and loved in the sight of God, just as we are.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Pray through this song by Henry Smith, acknowledging our own and others’ imperfections but also acknowledging the grace of God in uniting us as one body that learns together how to be thankful:
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One,
Give thanks because He's given
Jesus Christ His Son.
And now let the weak say "I am strong."
Let the poor say "I am rich."
Because of what the Lord has done
for us
Give thanks.
