The following comes from my book, MORE
Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
A new pastor had been hired at a church. He decided to visit the church’s former members in their homes and find out why they had left the church. After the minister knocked on the door and introduced himself, the man invited him into his living room. “Mr. Smith, I’m the church’s new pastor and I’m just curious why you and your wife left the church.”
“Well pastor, there was a big fight at the church concerning where to put the piano. One group wanted the piano on the left side of the church, while another group wanted it on the right side of the church. We didn’t agree with the final decision, so we left the church.”
“That’s why you left?” asked the pastor.
“Which side of the church did you want it on?” The man thought for a moment,
and then yelled to his wife in the kitchen. “Honey, which side of the church
did we want the piano on?”
An argument can start as a minor
disagreement and escalate into a heated brawl, and later we forget what the fight
was over. The damage can be avoided by refusing to argue about issues that
don’t really matter, such as where to put the piano. Paul writes, “But
refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all,
able to teach, patient when wronged” (2 Tim. 2:23-24).
Sometimes it’s better to lose the
argument to keep a valuable relationship from being destroyed. “You
have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not
rather be defrauded?” (1 Cor. 6:7). If you want to be a peacemaker—why
not let the other person have his or her way, knowing that pleasing God is more
important than winning an argument?
William Barclay said, “If the Christian has even the remotest tinge of the love of Christ within his heart, he will rather suffer insult and injury than try to inflict them on someone else.” Since Jesus suffered unjustly for you, why can’t you suffer unjustly for Him? www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
