One of the major reasons behind conflicts among individuals, families and even communities is misunderstanding. Not only does it affect interpersonal relationships, misunderstanding also affects our spiritual life. Wrong interpretation of God’s word causes one to have a wrong idea about God and His plan. This results in unbelief, disobedience and rebellion which in turn lead to divine displeasure and judgement.
       Christ’s words to the Sadducees who questioned Him on resurrection is poignant, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22: 29). One of the reasons behind the betrayal and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was actually the failure to comprehend the scripture well (Luke 23: 34; Acts 3: 17; 1Cor. 2:8). In this brief note let us explore misunderstanding which disturbs peace and harmony between one another. We cannot just assume that everyone will understand us right. Godly men and women have always been misjudged and maligned.
       Consider the pain of Job when his own friends misunderstood him. Joseph was misunderstood for no reason and the subsequent cost was heavy. Eli’s comment to prayerful Hanna was humiliating. Apostle Paul’s actions were misinterpreted by his own converts in Corinth.

Causes

What are the reasons why others even our own dear ones misunderstand us easily? In spite of our sincere efforts we are misunderstood and our motive is questioned. Remember, it is not the problem of one side only. For example, Mr. A misunderstands Mr. B. It is easy to blame Mr. A for misjudging Mr. B. But the truth could be that Mr. B also had something in him that made Mr. A to come to a wrong conclusion.
       So, if we are serious to understand the cause, consequences, and the cure for such interpersonal issues, we need to have an open mind and an unbiased attitude. Let us consider only 3 major factors that cause misunderstanding among each other.

1. Incompatibility

Cultural, linguistic and educational differences may hinder people to understand one another. Even among the same culture and language we see differences in each localities and people group. Also, differences in age, profession, experience etc., may hinder people to appreciate the thoughts and convictions of others.

2. Assumption

Each one of us has a unique thinking pattern and value system that is based on our background. If we look at people and hear them with..... ->>>More

NTK

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Out line:-

Unchangeable Things

“They shall perish……..Though remains” Hebrews 1:12

1. Unchangeable God, Mala 3:6
       -As Creator – Redeemer – Judge. Not to Abram the faithful, Isaac the obedient, but to Jacob the crooked, the worm.
2. Unchangeable Saviour, Heb 13:8
       -Yesterday He bore our sins on the Cross; today He bears our cares on the throne; tomorrow ourselves into Glory.
3. Unchangeable Spirit, John 14: 16
       -Another Comforter, paraclete, agent. May grieve, quench but never banish.
4. Unchangeable word, 1Pet 1:25
       -Grass, ordinary man, withereth; flower of grass, wise and mighty men, falleth away.
5. Unchangeable inheritance, 1Peter 1:4
       -No moth to damage from without, no rust to corrode from within, no thief to venture within or without.

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Anecdote: -

Saying vs. Doing

A man named La Piere sent out letters to the managers of 256 hotels and restaurants across the southern half of the U.S. He told them that he was planning to tour the south with two Chinese companions and he wanted to know ahead of time whether they would be served.
       Ninety-two percent of the businesses replied that they did not serve Chinese and that La Piere could save himself considerable embarrassment by not showing up with such undesirables. He wasn't surprised. Racial prejudice was a part of southern life in the 1930s, and this was long before a ban was placed on discrimination in interstate commerce.
       La Piere ignored the managers' advice, however. Accompanied by a Chinese man and his wife, he visited every one of the establishments that said they'd refuse service. Surprise! Ninety-nine percent of the places admitted the oriental couple, and almost all did so without a hassle.
       La Piere's study points up something that's a consistent finding in the field of persuasion that a person may say he feels one thing, and then turn right around and do something completely different.

— Em Griffin

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Exhortation: -

Overcome Evil with Good

By Tom Johns, Austin, Texas.

God judges our motives!

Perhaps the readers might recognize the name 'M E Cherian' - a pioneer missionary to Tamil Nadu, India. He was from Kerala and was a prolific Malayalam and Tamil hymn writer. He passed on to eternity in 1993. In one of his Malayalam hymns, 'Kaividelle yen karthaave' which means 'do not forsake me, Lord,' he included a few lines of his heartfelt lament about the reality of being misunderstood. It goes like this:
       "Uttavarayalum, uthamarayalum thettidharipithee marthiya swabhavamaam."
It can be translated as, whether people of close relations or people of exemplary traits, it is merely human nature to fail to understand or to take things in the wrong sense (of someone's motives). Whether we operate in the spiritual, secular or domestic spheres, this reality follows us everywhere since we are flawed humans. We must make purposeful efforts to avoid making the same mistakes by trusting God as the ultimate Judge. This trust would make us less judgmental and less agitated when others do it against us and prevent us from ever going forward with such destructive behavior.
       Romans 14 deals with the code of conduct for Christians in a unique way. If we study and practice this chapter, our lives would be a blessing to others, and we will receive peace and find the purpose for our lives. One of the key verses we find here is vs.4 "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master, he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
       In the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul taught the believers the preciousness of this salvation, expounding the doctrinal truths. In chapters 12-16, Paul outlined Christian conduct and how to behave in the church. The church in Rome was then made up of believers from Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.
       Their cultural baggage and religious convictions created many conflicts. Paul taught behavioral tolerance without compromising the critical message of the gospel for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. And these are still relevant to us.
      

If you bite and devour one another?

Satan often works on the human ego to create division and threaten the necessary unity among the believers. Now that we live in the social media age, we all have communication platforms. Such platforms do serve both wonderfully and tragically. We have witnessed exchanges of messages that tickle the carnal senses which often showed utter disregard for these scriptural principles.Paul was consumed in exuberance when he explained this gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. Often, he .... >>>>More

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Young Minds: -

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX?

By Samuel Shinde, Chiplun

Ron lived in slums, grew up playing in the streets and living a substandard life. At the same time, his father was passionate about providing Ron the best of education, which he did. And Ron did well, enough for him to get into Merchant Navy. That’s when Ron’s story took a drastic turn.
       He had money, with which he didn’t have to continue living in slums. Rather, he bought two lavish houses, one for his parents and one for himself. He owned a couple of cars too. And now, no more substandard clothing, Ron was always seen in branded clothes. In fact, he wore branded stuff from head to toe.
       However, all throughout this, the change was only external. From within, Ron hadn’t changed. He was still a base-minded person, aggressive and a man of coarse speech. His marriage couldn’t do any better, as he did not have a great relationship with his wife.
       One fine day, as he was reading the Bible, he read about the Ark of Testimony in Exodus 40:3. Like the king from Esther 6:1, Ron couldn’t sleep that night. His spirit was stirred to study the Ark of Testimony, like how Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia in Ezra 1:1. So he picked up the Bible and started ..... ->>>More

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Worthy Quotes:-