Paul wrote: ‘Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand’ (Philippians 2:2-4 MSG). Conflict can cause problems in our relationships. When we start to think higher of ourselves than we should, we can end up in relationships that are full of comparing, competing, and condemning. So when disorder starts to appear, we need to counteract what’s causing it with love, humility and selflessness. The Bible says: ‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). Even though it can be really hard, we need to be trying to live in harmony with others. When God prompts us to ‘turn the other cheek’, or be the first to apologise or put someone else’s needs above our own, He’ll give us the grace and wisdom we need to be able to do it. ‘The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and…good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness’ (James 3:17-18 NLT). While some conflict can be constructive, conflict that’s rooted in selfishness and jealousy needs to be avoided. Instead, we need to be peacemakers.

What now?

Experiencing conflict in your relationships? Pray that you’d be the peacemaker in the situation.