I read this devotional by Rick Warren recently and decided to share it on here. As I read this, I began to ponder how easy it is to discard a relationship whenever there’s a misunderstanding or a disagreement. I recently had a misunderstanding with a friend that could have led to our relationship being discarded but thank God we both resolved our issues and fellowship was restored. I pray as you read this you will discover the secrets for preserving and restoring relationships.

‘Relationships are always worth restoring’.

Life is all about learning how to love, and God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict. The Apostle Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers. This is why Paul was so embarrassed that the members of the church in Corinth were splitting into warring factions and even taking each other to court.

He wrote, “Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians.” (1 Corinthians 6:5 TEV) He was shocked that no one in the church was mature enough to resolve the conflict. 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.

Jesus said, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NLT) Notice Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the peace lovers,” because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, “Blessed are the peaceable,” who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who work for peace” – those who actively seek to resolve conflict.

So the next time, you are tempted to discard that relationship, remember that God blesses those who actively seek to resolve conflict