Acts 25B

We read that after two years, the sanhedrin still wanted to kill Paul.
(that’s why they’re still trying to get Paul back to Jerusalem)

hate is a powerful enemy (and it does not die of old age)

 it grows stronger, more demanding, more controlling

Hate must be killed by it’s host.

If you had $86,400 dollars and 

someone stole $60 dollars from you

would you thrown away the remaining $86,340 ?

how about raising the stakes …

you now have $31,536,000

and someone steals $86,400

would you throw away the remaining  $31,449,600 ?

in the first instant, the 60 represents the number of seconds in one minute

and the 86,400 represents the number of seconds in one day

31,536,000 is the number of seconds in one year that we can throw away

over bitterness and resentment towards someone who gave us one bad day.

Acts 5:39 Gamaliel warns the sanhedrin to leave this men alone and explains that if is of human origin it will come to nothing, but if it is of God, then they will find themselves fighting God Himself.

 

IF we believe in a sovereign God who desires to use everything happening in our lives to conform us into the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:28-30), is it so hard to recognize that He also plans to use conflict (especially conflict with those closest to us)

This means seeking His solution to a conflict even when our pride or respect or feelings are at stake.

His solution, the path we are called to follow in the conflict, is to be Christlike in the conflict, and we learn to be Christlike by using Christlike-ness when it costs us something in the present conflict.

And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 

Ephesians 4:26-27

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Psalm 4:4

(proverbs 26:4-5 presents the same apparent contradiction)

discretion is the key to application 

if you can’t resolve it in a christlike fashion,

then wait until you can do so … (anything else is not a true resolution is God’s eyes)

Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. 

Proverbs 19:11

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. -James 1:19-20