4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Nehemiah 11:22-13:31
Acts 15:22-41

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Acts 15:37-38 (CSB): “Barnabas wanted to take along John who was called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

One thing that will almost certainly be a part of any relationship is conflict. There will be times in the closest of relationships when you won’t see eye to eye. The problem isn’t so much the conflict as it is how you steward the conflict and how quickly it must be brought to a positive resolution.

As we read the verses I have chosen for today, we get to watch a conflict explode like a volcano. The cause of the conflict had already occurred. Apparently, the emotional responses were buried until the issue was brought up.

We are told that John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), had left Paul and Barnabas on their previous missionary journey. Paul didn’t want to give John Mark another chance to disappoint him, while Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another opportunity to go with them on another trip.

Who was right? Who was wrong? Paul or Barnabas?

We aren’t given that answer because we don’t know exactly why John Mark left. Did he have a legitimate reason for leaving? Or did he leave because he was afraid of the difficulties of missionary work? Maybe he couldn’t stomach reaching Gentiles and overlooking Jews. We just don’t know. All we know is that he abruptly deserted Paul and Barnabas on their missionary trip, Paul wiped his hands clean of him, and Barnabas now wanted to give his cousin another chance.

It has been my observation that most conflicts are often just as murky. If you delve into the details to find out what happened and try to determine who needs to repent, you will encounter varied versions of the truth. If you have two people, you’ll have two versions of the truth, but the truth is actually in the middle somewhere.

Conflict is inevitable. But we should pray for and seek to cultivate patience and love for others. When conflicts do arise, we should deal with them quickly and not allow them to fester if at all possible.

So, what about the Apostle Paul? Did he get over his issues with John Mark? All we need to do is read some of the closing comments of Paul’s last letter. It seems that the conflict had been resolved.

2 Timothy 4:9-11 (CSB): “Make every effort to come to me soon, because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry.”

Conflict doesn’t need to be the end of the story. If you have someone you are at odds with right now, why not ask God’s Holy Spirit to give you what you need as you go to that person and seek reconciliation. Anyone can get into an argument and severe a relationship. It takes a very special person to resolve the conflict and work toward a positive resolution.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to desire and work for peace with everyone. If there is conflict, let it not be your fault.
  • Ask God for the grace and humility to

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how to resolve conflict, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about conflict resolution?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)