AVOID INFIGHTING

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” – Philippians 1:27

          The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi cautioning them to find their joy in Christ and him alone. He encouraged the brethren to be united in the faith and not allow infighting to drag them down. He wrote this letter from prison, the least joyful place I can think of. Yet his strong faith carried him through his trials as he represented Christ with his life. We must understand that while joy can be found aside from Christ, it is fleeting. It evaporates quickly at the introduction of the next situation that confronts us. Our emotions get the best of us if we allow them to, but a person well grounded in their faith and trust in God will keep their emotions under control when necessary and face each day with an inner joy that can defeat anything the enemy might attempt to inflict upon us.

          The enemy of our soul works hard to disrupt the workings of the Lord’s church. The presence of disruptive individuals in the church can become divisive if it is allowed to exist and flourish. Too many people want things to go the way THEY think it should go, no matter what direction the Pastor is trying to lead the congregation. We must pray diligently for the will of God to manifest itself in our churches. He WILL purge his church of the disruptive individuals when the time is right. Pray for a purging and expect it to come. Disruptive people become disgruntled at some point when they feel they are not having any effect on things where they are and will move on to another congregation. No church is perfect and no individual is perfect either so if you attended the perfect church it would become flawed as soon as you came thru the doors. Without Christ in our lives we don't stand a chance of being what we ought to be in God.

          Don’t allow others to effect your inner joy. Lead with your faith and be a united front with the brethren. Hatred, jealousy, strife, to name just a few, should find no place among congregations. It is ungodly behavior and is not indicative of Christ’s influence that is supposed to be upon us. If we are striving to think, speak and act like Christ in wisdom, mercy and love, then there will be no room for ungodly behavior. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: www.biblegateway.com; The Life Application Study Bible.