Are You Committed to Making Peace with Others?

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A Commitment to Peacemaking


Introduction

Gospel-Centered Ministry

Step 1: Understand the Problem – Observation and Identification of the Problem (PROBLEM)

1. Relationships should be of the highest priority in our lives. Everyone needs somebody.

2. Broken relationships are distracting. Broken relationships are destructive. Broken relationships distort the message of the gospel. Broken relationships restrict our liberty.

3. Broken relationships can be restored. Broken relationships must be restored. There is no alternative to reconciliation

4. We tend to:

  • Protect ourselves
  • Promote ourselves
  • Punish others

5. Healthy relationships have certain definable characteristics.

6. What the world calls..the Bible calls

7. The Damage of Bitterness

  • Wounded spirit
  • Bitterness
  • Anger
  • Stubbornness
  • Rebellion

Step 2: Biblical Hope – Biblical Instruction and Encouragement (PROMISE)

  • Conflicts with others, self, and God
  • Ministry of reconciliation
  • Displaying grace
  • Speaking the truth in love

Step 3: Biblical Change – Practical Helps for Today (PROCESS)

Commitment to peacemaking and reconciliation (adapted from Peacemaker Ministries)

Personal Peacemaking Strategies

1. Whenever we are faced with conflict, our primary goal will be to glorify God with our thoughts, words, and actions

2. We will try to get the “logs” out of our own eyes before focusing on what others may have done wrong

3. We will seek to overlook minor offenses

4. We will seek to refrain from all gossip, backbiting, and slander. If we have a problem with others, we intend to talk to them, not about them.

5. We will endeavor to make charitable judgments toward one another by believing the best about each other until we have facts that prove otherwise

6. If an offense is too serious to overlook, or if we think someone may have something against us, we will seek reconciliation without delay

7. When we offer a word of correction to others, we will do so graciously and gently, with the goal of serving and restoring them, rather than beating them down

8. When someone tries to correct us, we will ask God to help us resist prideful defensiveness and to welcome correction with humility

9. As we seek to resolve differences with others, we will look out for their concerns and interests as well as our own

10. When others repent, we will ask God to give us the grace to forgive them freely and fully as He has forgiven us so that we might glorify His reconciling grace

Bringing it Home

Handling Problems Constructively:

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Gratitude journal

When was the last time someone said thank you to you? When was the last time you said thank you to someone else? So many people today struggle with a lack of thankfulness and ingratitude. This leads to struggles with complaining, criticizing, and comparing. Gratitude and thankfulness provide a powerful remedy for these problems. This gratitude journal helps us to identify what we should be grateful for and what we do as a result of seeing life as a gift.

God's grace prayer journal

Do you struggle with applying the truth that you learn during your study of God’s word? This God’s grace prayer journal will allow you to focus on gratitude and live in contentment in life. The journal pages encourage you to observe what you are learning from the Bible text, evaluate how you have failed to live according to the truths stated, seek forgiveness, and develop godly plans for change.

Giving hope

Do you struggle with the lack of hope? Do you find yourself struggling with doubt and insecurity during times of great challenge? During those times, you need to find your rest and assurance in pondering, personalizing, praying, and practicing what God’s Word says. In the short devotional, spend time meditating and studying each of these passages. Write down whatever comes to mind in the spaces below. And let God speak to you.

Discovering Godly patterns

One of the keys to growing in Christlikeness in our lives is to unearth and discover, and biblically evaluate our thinking patterns, speaking, and acting. This worksheet will help you be honest and specific about areas in your life that are not meeting biblical standards in thinking, speaking, and acting.

Counseling review journal

The God who began a good work in you will continue it through your lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God works for us, and God works in us. He enables us to become more like Christ every single day. This work is progressive and continual in this life. This worksheet helps us review and evaluate gains made during counseling and discipleship, show gratitude to God for what he has done, and develop plans for future growth and change.

Conflict review worksheet

There probably is not a day that goes by that we do not have some level of conflict with others. This worksheet helps us focus on the problem and not the person. It helps us evaluate how we have handled a dispute and how we should deal with it moving forward.

Bible study notes sheet

Do you ever struggle with doing a Bible study or journaling the key ideas from your reading? This Bible Study Note Sheet will encourage you to ponder and meditate on Scripture. Also, God’s Word is meant for you, so this worksheet will help you personalize what you are learning. It will also guide you in learning to pray God’s Word, and finally, it will encourage you to put into practice the principles and promises you find in reading the Word of God.

Anger journal

Anger is a significant issue for so many people. People often stuff or spew their anger, but very few learn to study their anger. This journal assignment will help you to do just that. It will help you understand, evaluate, and respond to your anger in better ways.

4 Steps to rethinking a problem

Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with problems? Do you find yourself struggling with thinking clearly during a challenging situation? This four-step approach to rethinking a problem will help.

4P problem-solving approach worksheet

Problems can seem overwhelming. When we are in the midst of a significant crisis, many of us struggle with defining the problem and implementing helpful solutions. This worksheet helps us to identify three unbiblical and unproductive ways of handling problems. It also encourages us to destroy problems, not people, as we deal with issues in a biblical and God-honoring way.