HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS
Real Hope In Real Times Part 15
TEXT- 1 PETER 3:8-12
INTRODUCTION
A maid had just been fired. Removing five dollars from her purse, she threw it to Fido, the family dog. When her former employer asked why, she answered, "I never forget a friend. This was for helping me clean the dishes."
Society has become very unkind towards one another. I recently heard where a man who took a cab in New York paid the driver with a $10 bill that had human excrement rolled up inside of it.
When we left off with our study of the book of First Peter we were studying about relationships.
- The relationship between a Christian and the government. (Ch. 2:13-17)
- The relationship between a Christian and Christ. (Ch. 2:18-25)
- The relationship between a husband and wife. (Ch. 3:1-7)
Throughout these passages we learned how there is the potential for conflict in each one of these relationships.
This morning our text is found in 1 Peter 3:8-12 and the title of my message is, "How To resolve Conflicts."
General Montgomery once gave this advise. He said, “Don’t think about getting married until you have mastered the art of warfare.”
Did you know that in the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 years have seen no war. Our world is very familiar with conflicts. When some of you have conflicts in your relationships it’s like living in a war zone.
If you’re around people for any length of time, you have to learn how to deal with conflicts. In spite of our differences we need to learn how to get along with each other. That is easier said than done, but Peter gives us the answer to how to do that here in our text.
Some of you might be saying right now, “I’m not married, so why should I listen?” These principles that we are going to look at tonight can be applied to any relationship you have. Others of you might be thinking right now, “I’m not having any problems in my relationships, so why should I listen?” Well, if you aren’t one day you are going to have a major conflict in a relationship and you’re going to be wondering, “What was it that Mark said about defusing conflicts?” So you can either pay me now or...pay me later. Even if you don’t listen for yourself, at least do it for someone else you might know who is having conflicts in their relationships.
As we examine these verses there are three ways Peter encourages us to resolve the conflicts that we have between each other from times to time.
If you will work hard at trying to do these things it will dramatically increase the satisfaction and fulfillment in your relationships and the conflicts in your relationships will dramatically decrease.