Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. –2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
God desires that we seek to live in peace and unity with Him, others, and ourselves. He longs for us to have healthy relationships within our family that result in harmony. There are steps we can take to improve our relationships and promote harmony. Here are five for starters:1. Pursue and preserve peace with God and peace with yourself. If you do not have peace within yourself, it will be impossible to extend genuine, lasting peace to others.2. Lower your “high” expectations of others. Realize that we are all human and prone to make mistakes.3. Accept and respect that God has wired everyone differently. What works and interests you may not be true for someone else.4. Embrace, enjoy, and benefit from other’s giftedness while you put to good use the gifts and talents God has entrusted to you for the building up of His church.5. Look over the shortcomings of others, and work to maximize their strengths. Aim to be an encourager and not a discourager.Satan is the accuser of believers. He knows that when we unite in love and harmony with each other, amazing things begin to happen, not only in our homes, but in God’s church, resulting in the blessing of many.
Lord of Hosts, pardon me for all the times I have not been the greatest team player among my family and Your family.
God, renew Your Spirit within me so I can wholeheartedly become an effective team member at home and in church. Amen.