For some reason, I don’t get everything I want. You probably don’t either. If we are honest with ourselves, we would say it’s frustrating when things don’t go as we want or how we thought they should or would go. That does not mean that all hope is lost. It does not mean we should give up, leave, or quit. Instead, Christians should look for ways to be agreeable. Look for ways to compromise. Look for ways to give others the benefit of the doubt. Look for ways to still contribute. Look for ways we can still be involved. Look for ways to set an example. Look for ways to encourage.
The Psalmist wrote:
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments.”
~ Psalm 133:1-2
Teamwork, cooperation, and unity depend on people being agreeable. This does not mean that we respond as pushovers who give into tolerance, resulting in compromising truths. Excessive compromise can be a dangerous road. However, Christians should seek to curb the natural instinct of individualism, remove our egos, and cooperate with other Christians in doing the Lord’s work in the Kingdom.
Some people seem to never be happy unless they are argumentative. They look for ways to disagree, even going as far as to compromise truth, reason, and logic. Perhaps there is no lesson Christians need to learn more today than how to get along with other people and work together. A happy home is one in which moms, dads, husbands, wives, and children are willing to be agreeable. When it’s time to decide what or where to eat, families should be agreeable. However, even more so when it’s time to decide more serious questions about how to solve life-changing problems, families should be even more agreeable. A happy church is one in which elders, deacons, ministers, and members are willing to be agreeable. When it’s time to decide how to serve our community, appoint new elders, study the Bible, reach the lost, and such things as these, we need to be agreeable people.
Satan wants us to find ways to disagree over the most trivial questions because it distracts us from the mission of reaching the lost and keeping the saved. Paul pleads with the church in Ephesus:
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
~ Ephesians 4:1-3
Will we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? Are we willing to be agreeable?
We are better off if we are.
I love you,
Alex