Do we really think that being right is more acceptable in God's eyes than valuing a relationship?
The need to be right is such a part of human nature, who doesn't suffer from it? I know I'm no exception! All I have to do it take one look at my marriage. My husband and I didn't meet until I was 36. He had been married with children before, I never had. I had already been a missionary for 5 years and had confessed to my dad that "I've become so set in my ways, I'm not sure a man could stand being married to me."
I felt so close to God, seeking Him in ministry, in every day things, in everything. At first it was hard to believe He meant marriage to this wonderful man & his children for me. We took our time, prayed, and married in a cloud of love. What do they say about the honeymoon phase wearing off?
I make no excuses that I came from a checkered background. Consequently, I think my insecurities and justifications for my behavior are as strong as that deep well inside me that needs to be seen as right and acceptable. I remember reading somewhere a quote. "Amazing how your bad habits disappear when you live alone." Great for a laugh, a little too close to home those first years of marriage.
Ouch! Unconditional love, ouch. It starts, 'this is how I do it'; then, 'my way is better', and it goes downhill from there. Long story short, God brought me to I John 4:19-21. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
First I had to learn to shut my mouth and let God lead instead of my emotions. Though Christ I began to discover the deeper blessings He had for me. My love and need to protect could be stifling, yet my respect was a cherished gift. My knowledge, prized, when asked for and only then freely given. Reminders became caring teamwork, rather than critical statements. Gently peeling back one layer at a time, Jesus is taking me deeper into understanding unconditional love. I still have a lot to learn. And learn again and again.
It is not a perfect marriage, but a Christ lead one of two very human beings. Loving my husband has made me a better person. It taught me about unconditional love, relationships, and issues that stem from a need to be right. It's made me a better missionary. I see God's desire for relationships in a whole new light.
How is it that God's people withdraw our love from one another over matters such as contemporary and traditional music, when God's desire is for us to be known for our love for one another?
It happens when Satan deceives us into believing two lies that lead to the withdrawing of our love for others.
Those two lies are:
1. Issues are more important to God then relationships. (but they're not!)
2. Being "right" is more important to God then doing right. (but it is not!)
There is a strong desire within human beings to be "right" and to get our way. So when someone comes along who doesn't see things exactly as we do, with the potential to keep us from getting our way, our sinful hearts and spiritual immaturity are often revealed.
