A friend of mine was recently hanging out with his wife and daughters. The girls (who are really good kids) were having one of those days where they just didn't get along. They fussed and argued with each other like most kids do occasionally. After a while of this, my friend had enough. He looked at his girls and said, "OK, here's the deal. You two are going to get along or you both will give me your cell phones right now!" And of course they quickly said, "Yes sir, Daddy, we'll quit arguing!" He got some mighty fast results with that threat didn't he?!
My friend and I shared a good laugh over that story. Every parent knows how that goes. It comes with the territory.
The way my friend felt about his children is representative of how God feels about all of His children! He just wants His sons and daughters to get along. Our relationships with each other DO indeed matter to God.
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." That's what Paul wrote in Romans 12:18. And that's what we need to keep in mind when we interact with each other.
There's too much fussing, fighting, back-biting, snubbing, gossiping, and arguing in this world. And it even can be found in some churches. This is not what God wants. And this is not what we need.
Our world needs a healthy mixture of love and peace. We need to care about each other, and we need to coexist harmoniously with one another. This will make the world a better place, and this will bring a smile to God's face. Kindness, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, and calmness will go a long way towards reaching this goal. And God can help bring about these qualities in each of us.
My mom told my brothers and me something like this before. She said that her main request of my brothers and me is for us to get along. She wants us to have good relationships with each other.
That's what God, The Heavenly Father, desires from all of us. And that's what makes life better. Let's just get along.
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