The forgiveness we have in Christ involves the release of sinners from God’s just penalty and the complete dismissal of all charges against us (see Romans 8:1). In Christ, we have plenty of grace and forgiveness to share – there is always hope for restoring relationships.ĭevotional streamed on Facebook Live – Monday, Mar.Forgiveness in the Bible is a “release” or a “dismissal” of something. Then communicate honestly and clearly what is going on. Examine yourself and seek a clear conscience. He could be proud of them, and they could be proud of him.įor you, ask God if there are any broken relationships that you can work toward restoring. – 2 Corinthians 1:14bįor Paul and the Corinthians, they could look forward to Jesus’s return when they wouldn’t need to be ashamed of their behavior. … that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. God has done amazing things when it comes to relational conflict.
Whatever your fractured relationship might be, there is hope. There Is Hope for Your Broken Relationships This might look like saying honestly, “I don’t know why I got upset.” Or “I yelled at you about this, but really it was this other thing that was bothering me.” Communicating clearly may also be just sharing everything you’re thinking and feeling. Take the time to get clear on what you want to say, and then convey it clearly. The best way to restore a relationship after establishing a clear conscience is to communicate clearly. We can be passive aggressive or sarcastic. And sometimes in a conflict, we don’t say what we actually mean. Nothing generates paranoia like conflict in which one person is trying to read between the lines of what the other person is saying. They don’t have to think there is some hidden meaning behind his words. This is what Paul does:įor we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand – just as you did partially understand us … – 2 Corinthians 1:13-14aīasically, Paul is letting the Corinthians know that what he is saying is exactly what he means. Clear Communication in Restoring RelationshipsĪfter asking, “What have I done wrong?” you can establish clear communication. When it comes to restoring relationships, self-examination and seeking a clear conscience is the place to start. We need to ask for forgiveness and repent. As a Christian, we must confess what we did wrong to God and to the people we sinned against. If the answer is no to any of these or if your conscience troubles you about your behavior, then the path is clear.
“Was I gracious? Did I act like I have received grace from Christ Jesus and am supposed to transmit it to others?”.“Did I behave genuinely and sincerely?”.“Did I behave in a straightforward way with integrity?”.Looking back over your relational conflicts, ask yourself these questions: This Scripture is a pretty good tool for self-examination when it comes to this. Paul and Timothy were able to boast in this, and that they dealt with “godly sincerity” and the grace of God instead of gut feelings.Īfter the emotional dust settles in a relational conflict, we usually look back and think about how we behaved during that time. The “testimony of our conscience” is the God-given sense of morality that gets sharpened and recalibrated over time as a Christian. They had a clear conscience, as they wrote in verse 12:įor our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. The apostle Paul and Timothy looked back over their dealings with the Corinthians and felt that they were not in the wrong. Verses, we’ll see two goals for restoring relationships:Ī Clear Conscience for Restoring Relationships Relationships, but it says enough for right now. Forgiveness and restoration is in our DNA.Ĭorinthians 1:12-14 doesn’t say everything there is to say about restoring
Leave relationships when they get tough, especially relationships betweenĬhristians. Seem easiest to give up on a relationship when there’s conflict, as Christians,
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