Jan 10, 2021 … Eternal Crowns

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 10 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … All To Us …  poignantly singing of how Christ should be the focus of our lives, … living , giving, and loving for the Lord … TOGETHER.  

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Highlight Passage:   Ephesians 4:31 [ESV] ... 

2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?  

…  Paul helping Christians remember that one day we will be the saints who will judge the world in heaven; so now we should handle conflicts - TOGETHER - <u>for God’s glory</u>, not judging the world by its standards.   

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  1Corinthians 6:1-6 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul helping fellow Christians resolve conflicts … 

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Reference Passage: … Matthew 18:15-20 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus teaches on how Christians - and His church - should handle and resolve conflicts. 

Reference Passage: … Philippians 2:3-5 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …  

…  We should take on the attitude of Christ and reach out and humbly help other Christians resolve the conflicts of life rather then judge them harshly. 

Reference Passage: … Colossians 3:13 [ESV] …  

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

…  Paul exhorts Christians to use forgiveness as our Christlike tool to resolve conflict with the body of Christ.

Reference Passage: … James 1:19-21  [ESV] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  James helps  Christians avoid selfish judgment in dealing with others … listening and hearing others with Christlike grace. 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, AT THIS LINK writes that seeing friends wearing paper crowns (see photo) at a party reminded the author that one day we Christians will wear crowns in heaven, even judging angels. 

And yet, here we are on earth with so much conflict and division swirling around us, … even in Christ’s church!  … So, being Christ’s disciples, how are we to deal with all this division and conflict? 

Well, we look to God’s word for direction, don’t we?  Yes, and the scriptures above help us to realize that we must use the model of truth God has given us in His word; … even as Christ Himself taught the church in Matthew 18:15-20, or as Paul exhorted fellow Christians (see Paul’s writing above), … or as Jesus’ brother James taught (see James 1:19-21).  

All of these words of truth point to Christians being able to unify in Christlikeness to be able to come together as a Church and humbly use forgiveness to resolve conflicts … just as Christ was willing to - and did - for mankind.  

But will we? … Well, that’s up to us, isn’t it, … as we follow God’s word and His will?  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your way to resolve the conflicts we face in this world.  

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray that all reading here will join me, to work together, especially in the Church, today and tomorrow … to resolve the conflicts we encounter in the world.   … Amen

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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.