Monday, February 17, 2014

Bible Study: Don't exchange your treasure for worthless rubbish

Romans 14:17
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
We all know that children love to bicker over the most ridiculous things. I even find my daughters arguing over what one girl said vs. what her sister thought she said. Perhaps these phrases are also common in your home: "Why can't you just get along?", "Is it really worth fighting over?", "No more arguing!" Do you ever wonder whether God would like to say the same things to us? We might be arguing over a very important issue, but if we're trampling the even more important virtues of love, faith, and hope in the process, we've exchanged a valuable treasure for a temporary gain. And if what we're arguing over is not an important issue, we've exchanged a valuable treasure for the sake of worthless rubbish. There are ways to resolve differences without forsaking the virtues marking those who belong to the Holy Spirit, just as we're always trying to teach our children to resolve their differences without bickering. In every situation we should consider whether we are holding fast to righteousness as we work through our differences. If the answer is no, it would be better to keep the core characteristics of a Christian, loving one another despite the disagreement, and leave the differences to the side to be worked out at another time or by someone else. As important as the issue might be, it's not worth the even more important faith, hope, and love.

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