Daily Devotional
Kindness in Conflict Brings Glory to God

June 17, 2023

Ponder This

Are you a servant of the Lord? Then you can’t be quarrelsome. You’ve got to be kind in times of conflict. We all have times of conflict, but you need to be very careful when you get into an argument with another human being. It doesn’t matter whether that human being is saved or lost. There have been people who have opposed me, and I’ve tried to be kind to them. And I see God at work, not every time, but many times.

When I was a young pastor, I got a difficult letter from a member of the church. In the letter, he told me that he didn’t like my mannerisms or the way I preached. I prayed, “Dear Lord, help me to write back the kindest letter I can write.” I sent my response and then one day he came past the office and said, “You are the best friend I have.” When I’m in a quarrelsome situation with anybody, I must remember that there are people watching all around.

One woman came to her pastor and said, I have become a Christian because of you. And he said, “What was it that I preached that brought you to Jesus?” She said, “It was nothing that you preached. I was watching when a woman criticized you to your face. Your kindness to that woman convicted my heart. I knew what you had was real, and I gave my heart to Jesus Christ.”

• When has someone’s kindness impacted your life?
• When is kindness most difficult for you?

Practice This

Seek to extend extraordinary kindness to someone today.