LHM Daily Devotion - August 27, 2017 "Jesus, the Best Friend"

Humans were created to be social creatures.

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"Jesus, the Best Friend"

August 27, 2017

He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

~ Psalm 144:2 (ESV)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.

In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Humans were created to be social creatures.

That means most of us feel more comfortable when we have family, friends, and acquaintances conveniently handy. Because we are social, friendship becomes an important part of a full and fulfilled life. Although it is not always the case, the vast majority of us who have close friends and family are happier and better adjusted than those who do not.

Having counted some of the benefits of having close friends and family, we also have to confess there are times when, they can cause us pain.

Some months ago I met a very successful young man who was smart enough to have finished high school early. Not only was he intelligent and well educated, he was also a son who was respectful to his parents.

Since he was too young for college, he took a sabbatical year. It was his intention to enter college with others of his own age.

Sadly, that year out of school wasn't all that positive an experience. This young man, along with his friends, became regulars at parties where the liquor would flow freely. True, they always chose a designated driver whose responsibility was to stay sober and deliver them home at the end of the evening.

Unfortunately, the inevitable happened.

A driver, far under the influence of alcohol, crashed into the young people's vehicle. It was a great accident, which totaled the car. The young man of our story took the brunt of the car's force and ended up in the hospital.

Fearing concussion, the doctors kept their young patient for a few days. They observed him as he drifted out of consciousness. Eventually, his alertness and intelligence came back. One of the first things he realized was this: his friends weren't there. Questioning the nurses he found they had never bothered to stop by.

That's when he realized it was Jesus who was his most faithful and necessary Friend.

From that time on, our young man kept being turned to the Savior. There were opportunities when he visited with others who were suffering. Because of what he had learned, he was able to comfort them at the most difficult times of their lives.

Today our young man is allowing me to share his story with you. He wants you to know, to understand, that God gave us His Son to win forgiveness of sins and make it possible for us to be adopted into the family of faith. Here we will receive the ongoing blessings bestowed by the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit who is always with us.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank You for offering Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior, protector and shield to the problems of life. Thanks be given for my best Friend, in whose Name I pray. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Marcela Padilla. She recently joined our Nicaragua ministry center as a volunteer. She met us during a Christian drug prevention talk we gave at the school where she studies. Immediately afterward, she stopped in to find out more about our ministry. Soon after that she became part of our team. Today she is actively spreading the message of Christ among the youth of her district and other places which we visit.

Lutheran Hour Ministries-Nicaragua is known in-country as "Christ for All Nations" or Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones in Spanish. Launching its Gospel efforts in Chinandega in 1999, LHM-Nicaragua offers Project JOEL, an educational program helping children and young people make healthy lifestyle choices. High school and university students benefit from this program as well. Offering Equipping the Saints (ETS) evangelism workshops to facilitate Gospel conversations and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to build up and edify students of Scripture, inroads are being made into people's lives with the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Based today in León, this ministry center produces a weekly radio broadcast and 30-second on-air spots. These are augmented with "Radio Cristo Nica," an internet and radio program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and helping others in this Central American country of six million people.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, August 26, 2017

Destruction of the Temple Foretold by Jesus – The Fulfillment

Opening Sentence

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite."

~ Isaiah 57:15

Morning Prayer

Holy God, as I face another day, I know I am going to face many challenges: to my faith, to my patience, to my love for others. I am going to have constant temptations to lapse into sin. Come to me now, Lord, and stay with me all day. Let your Spirit encompass my mind. Let me know your presence. Steer my hand, direct my words, guide my thoughts in everything I think and say and do. I resolve to live this day as a beacon of your glory, the best I can, with your help. I commit myself to give this day to you. In the name of Christ, be with me and help me. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Dear Heavenly Father, we lower our heads before you and we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there was no God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You. For these things we ask your forgiveness and we also ask for your strength. Give us clear minds and open hearts so we may witness to You in our world. Remind us to be who You would have us to be regardless of what we are doing or who we are with. Hold us to You and build our relationship with You and with those You have given us on earth. Amen.

Today's Readings

The First Reading is taken from 2 Samuel 23:1-17

[The Last Words of David] Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel: The spirit of the LORD speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land. Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand; to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

[David’s Mighty Men] These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three; he wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew, but he stood his ground. He struck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the people came back to him-- but only to strip the dead. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee, the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the army fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory. Towards the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. David said longingly, "O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!" Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD, for he said, "The LORD forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

The Second Reading is taken from Acts 25:13-27

[Festus Consults King Agrippa] After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence against him. I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the charge. So when they met here, I lost no time, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes that I was expecting. Instead they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. Since I was at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor." Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you will hear him."

[Paul Brought before Agrippa] So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in. And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him. But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write-- for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him."

The Holy Gospel is written in Mark 13:1-13

[The Destruction of the Temple Foretold] As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?" Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

[Persecution Foretold] "As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Morning Psalms

Psalm 137 Super flumina
1   By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered you, O Zion.
2   As for our harps, we hung them up on the trees in the midst of that land.
3   For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
4   How shall we sing the LORD'S song upon an alien soil?
5   If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.
6   Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7   Remember the day of Jerusalem, O LORD, against the people of Edom, who said, "Down with it! down with it! even to the ground!"
8   O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us!
9   Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, and dashes them against the rock!

Psalm 144 Benedictus Dominus
1   Blessed be the LORD my rock! who trains my hands to fight and my fingers to battle;
2   My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I trust, who subdues the peoples under me.
3   O LORD, what are we that you should care for us? mere mortals that you should think of us?
4   We are like a puff of wind; our days are like a passing shadow.
5   Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6   Hurl the lightning and scatter them; shoot out your arrows and rout them.
7   Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the great waters, from the hand of foreign peoples,
8   Whose mouths speak deceitfully and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.
9   O God, I will sing to you a new song; I will play to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
10   You give victory to kings and have rescued David your servant.
11   Rescue me from the hurtful sword and deliver me from the hand of foreign peoples,
12   Whose mouths speak deceitfully and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.
13   May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth, and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.
14   May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner of crops; may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands and tens of thousands; may our cattle be fat and sleek.
15   May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into exile, no wailing in the public squares.
16   Happy are the people of whom this is so! happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

Evening Psalms

Psalm 104 Benedic, anima mea
1   Bless the LORD, O my soul; O LORD my God, how excellent is your greatness! you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
2   You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak and spread out the heavens like a curtain.
3   You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind.
4   You make the winds your messengers and flames of fire your servants.
5   You have set the earth upon its foundations, so that it never shall move at any time.
6   You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; the waters stood higher than the mountains.
7   At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
8   They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, to the places you had appointed for them.
9   You set the limits that they should not pass; they shall not again cover the earth.
10   You send the springs into the valleys; they flow between the mountains.
11   All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them, and the wild asses quench their thirst.
12   Beside them the birds of the air make their nests and sing among the branches.
13   You water the mountains from your dwelling on high; the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
14   You make grass grow for flocks and herds and plants to serve mankind;
15   That they may bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden our hearts,
16   Oil to make a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen the heart.
17   The trees of the LORD are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
18   In which the birds build their nests, and in whose tops the stork makes his dwelling.
19   The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats, and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers.
20   You appointed the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows the time of its setting.
21   You make darkness that it may be night, in which all the beasts of the forest prowl.
22   The lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God.
23   The sun rises, and they slip away and lay themselves down in their dens.
24   Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening.
25   O LORD, how manifold are your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
26   Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great.
27   There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it.
28   All of them look to you to give them their food in due season.
29   You give it to them; they gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
30   You hide your face, and they are terrified; you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.
31   You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth.
32   May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; may the LORD rejoice in all his works.
33   He looks at the earth and it trembles; he touches the mountains and they smoke.
34   I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being.
35   May these words of mine please him; I will rejoice in the LORD.
36   Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the wicked be no more.
37   Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Saturdays

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our Saturday Oldie features a group that a
lot of us listened to in our younger days.

The Wedding Song
Peter, Paul & Mary

Alleluia! Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!

Closing Prayer

Walk with me, dear Lord, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may reflect the light of your truth, to inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all whom I may meet. Amen.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for SATURDAY, August 26, 2017

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, August 26, 2017

Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Read all of Romans 12

Listen to Romans 12

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - To Walk Out of His Will

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

~ Hebrews 11:5 (ESV)

Enoch is one of the most striking personalities of the Old Testament. He is one of but two men who lived on this earth and went to heaven without passing through the portals of death. He is the only one, except our blessed Lord, of whom it is written that “he pleased God.” The reason for the remarkable qualities and successes of this man? Genesis 5:24: “He walked with God.”

All of us stray off the path sometimes. We aren't machines (or even Enochs); we are like dogs on a walk, wanting to stop and check things out. But we have a bigger problem when, at some point, we start to wonder whether we should be on the path at all. We might feel bored, or depressed, or burned out. But you know what's at the bottom of it? There is some sin we want to commit, or have become addicted to, that pulls us away. It might be something as innocent-looking as self-pity, but whenever we get off the path completely, it is not because we are burned out; it is because sin is like rain on a roof. It never stops trying.

The solution? Check the shingles every morning: pray by habit, looking for pinholes that might enlarge. We don't really want to walk out of God's will, and those who do, do it over a long period of time. Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer for just this reason: If we really get lost, we can say it automatically, from memory, and it will turn us back in the right direction.

Lord God, give me the grace, when I wander from your will, to find my way back as quickly as possible. In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Devotion shared by Mason Barge, Editor, Daily Prayer.
All of us stray off the path sometimes.

Un Dia a la Vez - El desorden y la suciedad (segunda parte)

Sé ejemplo de los creyentes en palabra, conducta, amor, espíritu, fe y pureza.

~ 1 Timoteo 4:12 (RV-60)

Ayer aprendimos de dos grandes enemigos en la vida que nos pueden estar restando bendiciones: el desorden y la suciedad.

A lo mejor la casa donde vives es, como dicen, una tasita de té que brilla de limpieza, pero tu vida por dentro está desordenada y sucia. Así que debes comprender que hay que hacer cambios. Estos cambios no suceden de la noche a la mañana y llevarán su tiempo. Sin embargo, una vez que lo entiendas, puedes tomar cartas en el asunto.

El orden empieza por ti mismo siendo limpio, pulcro y agradable para tu esposa, tus hijos y los que te rodean, y también en la manera de mantener tu casa. Entonces, quizá la pregunta que te hagas sea esta: «¿Cómo puedo cambiar?». La respuesta es que con Dios todo es posible.

Pídele a Dios que te ayude a ser ordenado. Desecha lo que ya no usas. No acumules basura, ni desperdicios en la cocina debido a la pereza. Que tu baño, tu ropa, y hasta tu auto, muestren a Cristo. Además, ten presente que lo que les modeles a tus hijos será lo que seguirán como ejemplo. Si te ven descuidado y abandonado, es muy probable que hagan lo mismo.

Hoy el Señor te da la oportunidad de cambiar, de echar fuera el desorden y la suciedad y de cortar esas ataduras. Como resultado, serás capaz de prepararte para el orden y la limpieza de tu vida.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - NO TURNING BACK

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

~ Luke 9:62 (NIV)

One of the blessings of teaching Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) is the opportunity to meet special people in ministry who, though unassuming at first glance, have experienced deep riches in relationship with Jesus. Such a person I met in a jungle camp seminar in central Sri Lanka.

His English name was Samuel and he was a seasoned church planter. From Samuel I learned that church planting in a Buddhist country is no easier than anywhere else religious intolerance raises its head. I always thought Buddhism was a pacifist religion and philosophically it is. But try and plant a church in a dominant Buddhist community and you will see something different.

One day Samuel began to share with me about his ministry. He had been dedicated to the Buddhist temple as a young child by his mother just like his biblical namesake. As a young monk he was impressed by the witness of a Christian youth who led him to faith in Christ. He left temple life and felt called to be a Christian church planter. With his wife and two small children he moved to a new community and began to share Jesus. The villagers stoned his residence and when he would not desist, they burned it down.

He moved to another community and was attacked physically with severe wounds. In the next location the villagers schemed against him and his family. They cut the main posts of his home and worship center. At night they tied rope to the posts and pulled them out while the family was asleep. He knew God was with him. Two large structural beams fell down parallel to where the children were sleeping and neither of them was touched.

He continued on and I finally interrupted with the question, “How many times did this happen and you had to move on?”

Samuel smiled and answered, “Thirteen times!”

Of course, in my western way of thinking I asked, “How could you continue on and persevere through so many attacks?”

He replied, “It’s like the song we sang this morning at the SSTS seminar, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back!” And he quickly went on to say with a bigger smile, “Last month twenty-five people in my new community were baptized and I currently have another twenty-five in a baptismal preparation class.”

Jesus gives strength to carry on and not turn back.

RESPONSE: Today I resolve to not allow petty challenges dampen my commitment to follow Jesus.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for Samuel’s testimony of Your faithfulness. Help me never to turn back from following and serving You.

NIV Devotions for Couples - Finding Strength in Submission

Philemon 1–25

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.

~ Philemon 8–9 (NIV)

During the Reformation, when Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli were exchanging strong words about Biblical interpretations and ecclesiastical practices, Zwingli spent a troubled morning walking the mountain trails of his beloved Switzerland. From a distance he observed two goats making their way toward each other on a path barely stitched to the side of a cliff. It was obvious that these nimble creatures could not pass one another.

As the goats approached each other, each feinted a power move at the other in what looked like the beginning of a battle. In a surprise twist, however, one goat suddenly collapsed onto the narrow ledge so the other goat could walk over its back. Then each moved on.

Zwingli was impressed. Here was strength defined by submission. It allowed two opponents to survive a crisis so both could get on with more important things. Zwingli applied the lesson to his next encounter with Luther.

The same principle is evident in Paul’s words to Philemon. Philemon’s slave Onesimus had run away, met Paul in Rome and become a Christian. Now Paul was sending the slave back to his master, urging Philemon to receive Onesimus, not as mere property, but as a brother. Instead of butting heads with Philemon, Paul extended a hand of love. Was this a sign of weakness? Psychological manipulation?

Both possibilities and a variety of others enter a marital relationship. Sometimes we badger one another. Sometimes, like goats poised for battle on a mountain trail, we come close to butting heads. Sometimes we spit and snarl and lash out. Sometimes we sit together and lovingly hash things out.

What is helpful and healthy in good relationships is honesty. Not just truthfulness that blurts out every last thought, but self-awareness that is not deceptive. It is as important that I learn to be honest with myself as it is to be truthful with my partner. If Paul was in touch with his own thoughts and feelings when he wrote to Philemon, he could state his case without deploying manipulative or subversive tactics. He could focus on Philemon’s well-being and circumstances while maintaining his own perspective.

Too often we allow our emotions to derail relationships because we are blinded by excessive self-importance. The strength of our emotions, especially when we are at odds with each other, inflates our tendency for self-preservation and diminishes our sense of the other’s importance in our lives. We need to keep relationships personal and issues impersonal as we build faithfulness with one another.

Disagreements are inevitable in any relationship. But the ways in which we work through them can bind us more tightly together in love. Paul’s kindness to Philemon offers a very good example to follow.

Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk

• What do we tend to disagree about? What happens in our relationship whenever that topic comes up? How do our feelings get involved?
• When we disagree, does one of us generally dominate the other? What is dangerous about that? How could we change that pattern?
• How do we show our respect for one another when we disagree about something? If we videotaped one of our arguments and showed it to a friend or a marriage counselor, what would they say?