Day Twenty: Restoring Broken Fellowship

"[God] has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships." 2 Corinthians 5:18 (GWT)

Stuff That Stuck Out:

• Relationships are always worth restoring.
• Because life is all about learning how to love, God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict.
• Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers.
• If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker.
• Peacemaking is not avoiding conflict and is also not appeasement.

HOW TO RESTORE A RELATIONSHIP

1. Talk to God before talking to the person.
2. Always take the initiative.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

Point To Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring.

Verse To Remember: "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18 (TEV)

Question To Consider: Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?