Focus
Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.
Read
6 When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2 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? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels, to say nothing of ordinary matters? 4 If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one person wise enough to decide between brothers and sisters? 6 Instead, brothers and sisters go to court against one another, and this before the unbelievers.
7 In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and brothers and sisters at that.
9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, men who engage in illicit sex, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Reflect
I read that while Abraham Lincoln was practicing law in Springfield, a farmer asked him to settle a pending lawsuit between himself and a neighbor. Lincoln informed him that the other man had just been there to hire him and added “Now if you go on with this it will cost both of you your farms, and will entail an enmity that will last for generations, and perhaps lead to murder.” He instructed the two of them to sit in his office, talk it over, and try to settle it while he went to dinner. To make sure they didn’t leave, Lincoln locked the door as he left. He did not return all afternoon. After the two men found themselves unable to leave, they started laughing, and came to a settlement before Lincoln came back.
The Greek culture was contentious & quick to sue each other. The new Christians continued the pattern. Paul was upset the new believers were voluntarily going to court over minor issues. The church should be capable of judging and resolving trivial disputes between believers. He said there should be at least one “wise man” (a term for a judge in the Hebrew courts) in the synagogue for the elders to hear and pass judgment on the issues.
Christians may need legal advice, but going to the law in a spirit of anger and/or revenge only proves their worldliness is stronger than their Christianity. When the world sees Christians filing lawsuits against other Christians, they probably won’t see the love of Christ shown and their witness maybe damaged. Which one is more important to you?
Pray
God help us to see one another out of love. When things go wrong, let us handle it in the manner of family and friendship. Let us seek one another’s interest over our own. Amen
Go with God!
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