Tuesday, August 25
Friendship alone does not win people to Christ. We might have many friends, people we enjoy being with and who enjoy being with us, but if we never tell them what Jesus means to us and how He changed our lives, our friendship may make little eternal difference. Sure, we might be fun to be around, but God calls us to be more than just fun to be around. Friendship alone will not bring people to Christ, but unfriendly attitudes may drive people from Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds us to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The bonds of friendship are built when we agree with people as much as possible, demonstrate acceptance, and compliment them where it is appropriate. How important that we make a habit of looking for the good in people as opposed to the bad.
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4. List some of the specific things Paul compliments the Thessalonians for.
There are those who seem to delight in looking for things that are wrong with others if for no other reason than that it makes them feel better about themselves.
The apostle Paul was the opposite. He looked for the positive in the churches he ministered to. Certainly, he reproved error and did not condone sin, but his focus was to build up the churches that he established. One way he did this was by highlighting what they did right.
Ellen G. White’s statement on the importance of positive relationships is remarkable. “If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous and tenderhearted and pitiful [full of pity], there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one”. — Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 189.
Reflect on the statement above for a moment. What would it mean for your church if kindness, courtesy, tenderheartedness, and pity (mercy) overflowed from each member’s heart? What would a church like this look like? Look into your own heart and ask yourself about a way in which you could improve in this area.
