Conflicts find us. Unsolicited. Have you noticed? In a former pastorate, a new member asked if we had a clock expert in the church. He had acquired an antique clock and wanted to make it work. Another member pointed him to an expert in the church. The expert walked into our new member’s home, looked at the clock and said, “That is my clock.” He had sold a car without a key to the trunk. The clock had been in the trunk. When the person who purchased the car found the clock, he sold it to our new member. The men almost came to blows. Teams were chosen and fellowship disrupted in the growing Sunday School class.
As God continued to bless Isaac with new water from new wells, the people in the area opposed him. Each time he dug a new well, the local herdsmen claimed the water as their own. He named the first two wells “dispute” and “opposition.” Isaac moved each time and finally dug a well which he named “Rehoboth,” or “room,” because he finally had space to breathe. The Lord had given him room in the promised land so that he might flourish.
Paul encouraged the believers in Rome, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). True, it does not all depend on us. But each of us has a part to play. Who knew there was a clock in the trunk? The man who purchased it did not know. My friend who sold it had forgotten. The man who bought the clock did not know the back story. I am convinced the devil knew about the clock and used it to disrupt fellowship in our church. By God’s grace, the conflict was resolved. A time of peace followed. The church flourished again.
A tourist in Australia noticed that there were large areas with no fences for the cattle. She asked one of the ranchers why he had no fences. The rancher responded, “Instead of building fences, we dig wells. The cattle will come to the water.” People will argue over most anything. But don’t stop digging wells. The world needs water. God will give us room to flourish if we do not grow weary in doing good.
