Tag Archives: Romans 14:19

Do What Leads To Peace

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - 365 Days Of Guidance - Day 31 - Romans 14:19 - Do What Leads To Peace - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – 365 Days Of Guidance – Day 31 – Romans 14:19 – Do What Leads To Peace – Growing As Disciples

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19 (NIV)

Every Effort

Why don’t you like conflict? I’m not sure. I know that I don’t like the stress that conflict brings into my life. I know I don’t like the destruction of relationships that is often caused by conflict. I know I don’t like the feelings of brokenness I feel when I am heavily engaged in conflict. I more than dislike conflict. I hate conflict. I loose sleep over conflict. Conflict drains my energy and wears me out. Conflict makes it very difficult for me to hear your voice and know your will. My productivity goes way down when I am engaged in conflict. For someone who isn’t sure, you seem quite sure about why you don’t like conflict. I guess so.

When is conflict most likely to find its way into your life? I am more likely to engage in conflict when my life is out of balance. If I haven’t had enough sleep, food, or exercise I can easily be drawn into conflict. Why is that? A lack of sleep, food, or exercise tends to make me crabby and very short on patience. If any of my other basic needs haven’t been met I can be drawn into conflict then as well. Oh, more importantly, if I haven’t spent time in fellowship with you, that’s when I’m probably most easily drawn into conflict. That’s when my life is most out of balance. So, if I want to be able to resist being drawn into conflict, I need to make sure that my life is in balance, starting with fellowship with you, in your word. Your help comes to me as I am living in close fellowship with you.  I need to rely on you to help me to resist the temptation to be drawn into conflicts. That sounds like a good plan to me.

What circumstances are most likely to draw you into conflict? Disagreements of all types draw me into conflict. Some conflict is unavoidable. Some conflict is even desirable. I’m sure that you want me to engage in conflict when I am faced with injustice in the world. You don’t want me to idly stand by when someone is being unjustly treated. No, I don’t. But, the times of justified conflict seem to be more of the exception than the rule. Often times I get drawn into conflict when someone does something that I don’t like. When someone doesn’t live up to my expectations conflict has often resulted. Just not getting what I want has also resulted in conflict. So, there has been a lot of conflict in my life related to my own selfishness and pride. I think it’s important to evaluate any conflict in my life. Yes, it is. I know you don’t want me to engage in conflict that is rooted in selfishness, pride, or any other sin. No, I do not.

What would you rather do than engage in conflict? What do you think I would rather you do than engage in conflict? Both questions have the same answer. I want to do what you want. What do I want? You want me to live in peace with others. You want me to make peace my aim and pursuit. You want me to distance myself from selfish, prideful, and sinful conflict. Instead of engaging in conflict with others, you want me to use all my thoughts, words, and actions to encourage and build others up in their faith in you. Yes, I do. Will you use your thoughts, words, and deeds to build others up in their faith? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I will make every effort to live in peace with others. I will make peace my aim and pursuit. I will distance myself from whatever leads to conflict with others. Instead, use all of my thoughts, words and deeds to encourage and build others up in their faith. Amen

Key Question…  When has the Lord used you to encourage and build others up?

Living It Out…  Make doing what leads to peace your aim and pursuit.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will use you to encourage and build others up.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are being changed as you spend time with Jesus.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you do what leads to peace in your relationships with others.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

365 Days Of Guidance – Day 31 – Romans 14-19 – Do What Leads To Peace – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Make Every Effort To Do What Leads To Peace

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 275 - Romans 14:19 - Make Every Effort To Do What Leads To Peace - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 275 – Romans 14:19 – Make Every Effort To Do What Leads To Peace – Growing As Disciples

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19 (NIV)

Finger Pointing 

This world is not a peaceful place. This world is filled with division and strife and acrimony of every kind. When will the destructive debate and angry finger pointing ever end? It is easy to get drawn into the conflict. It is alluring to join in the battle. One side is always right. The other side is clearly wrong. One side is good and has the best intentions. One side is evil and filled with dark and disturbing motives. Which side am I on? I’m always on the good side. My intentions are nothing but the best. Who is fooling who? That is a very good question to ask yourself. Yes, I know that it is a very good question to ask myself. Why is that? I so easily join the debate. I am so willing to be drawn into the battle. Winning becomes the goal. Destroying the thoughts and opinions of others who are so obviously misguided and deluded is the plan. Guess what. What? Nobody wins these destructive debates and angry conflicts. You are incorrect at this point. Yes, I suspected that. No person wins these destructive debates and angry conflicts. Now, you are correct. The devil and all his evil wins when people from different perspectives try to destroy each other with their words and actions. Now, you are on to something very important. What has happened to your ability to be my witness in the world when you engage in angry debate and ugly finger pointing? My ability to be your witness in the world vanishes in an instant. No one sees the light of your life flowing in and through me. No one sees your kindness and mercy and love through my life. All they see is an angry and combative, debate filled me. There is no joy in that. There is no hope and life in that. No, there is not. It is good that you see this angry and combative, debate filled world, that you live in, for what it is.

So, let me ask you a question. Go ahead, I’m listening. What do you want your life to be about? Do you want to join in debates and win conflicts or do you want to be a bright and shining witness for me in the world? Do you want to win arguments or bear fruit for my kingdom and glory? My answer to your questions is obvious. I want to be a bright and shining witness in the world that bears fruit for your kingdom and glory. Then leave the debating and arguing and finger pointing behind. Make every effort to do what leads to peace. Use your words to encourage and edify others. Love and lift others up with your words. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good. 

Lord, steer me clear of the lack of peace and harmony in this world. Free me from the nonstop destructive debating that goes on in society today. Help me to make every effort to do what leads to peace. Help me to encourage others with my words and actions. Amen

Key Question… When have you been able to use your words and actions to do what led to peace and edification?

Living It Out… Make every effort to do what leads to peace and edification in the turbulent world of today.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to bear fruit for Him as you do what leads to peace and edification.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are making every effort to do what leads to peace.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you make every effort to do what leads to peace.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Becoming Like Christ – Day 275 – Romans 14-19 – Make Every Effort To Do What Leads To Peace – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Leads To Peace

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 275 - Romans 14:19 - Leads To Peace - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 275 – Romans 14:19 – Leads To Peace – Growing As Disciples

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19 (NIV)

Finger Pointing 

This world is not a peaceful place. This world is filled with division and strife and acrimony of every kind. When will the destructive debate and angry finger pointing ever end? It is easy to get drawn into the conflict. It is alluring to join in the battle. One side is always right. The other side is clearly wrong. One side is good and has the best intentions. One side is evil and filled with dark and disturbing motives. Which side am I on? I’m always on the good side. My intentions are nothing but the best. Who is fooling who? That is a very good question to ask yourself. Yes, I know that it is a very good question to ask myself. Why is that? I so easily join the debate. I am so willing to be drawn into the battle. Winning becomes the goal. Destroying the thoughts and opinions of others who are so obviously misguided and deluded is the plan. Guess what. What? Nobody wins these destructive debates and angry conflicts. You are incorrect at this point. Yes, I suspected that. No person wins these destructive debates and angry conflicts. Now, you are correct. The devil and all his evil wins when people from different perspectives try to destroy each other with their words and actions. Now, you are on to something very important. What has happened to your ability to be my witness in the world when you engage in angry debate and ugly finger pointing? My ability to be your witness in the world vanishes in an instant. No one sees the light of your life flowing in and through me. No one sees your kindness and mercy and love through my life. All they see is an angry and combative, debate filled me. There is no joy in that. There is no hope and life in that. No, there is not. It is good that you see this angry and combative, debate filled world, that you live in, for what it is.

So, let me ask you a question. Go ahead, I’m listening. What do you want your life to be about? Do you want to join in debates and win conflicts or do you want to be a bright and shining witness for me in the world? Do you want to win arguments or bear fruit for my kingdom and glory? My answer to your questions is obvious. I want to be a bright and shining witness in the world that bears fruit for your kingdom and glory. Then leave the debating and arguing and finger pointing behind. Make every effort to do what leads to peace. Use your words to encourage and edify others. Love and lift others up with your words. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good. 

Lord, steer me clear of the lack of peace and harmony in this world. Free me from the nonstop destructive debating that goes on in society today. Help me to make every effort to do what leads to peace. Help me to encourage others with my words and actions. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Becoming Like Christ – Day 275 – Romans 14-19 – Leads To Peace – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com