Hate no one; for hatred is a plague-spot that spreads its virus and kills at last. If indulged, it masters us; brings suffering upon suffering to its possessor, through‐out time and beyond the grave. If you have been badly wronged, forgive and forget: God will recompense this wrong, and punish, more severely than you could, him who has striven to injure you. Never return evil for evil; and, above all, do not fancy that you have been wronged when you have not been.
(Miscellaneous Writings – Love Your Enemies p12 by Mary Baker Eddy)
Overcoming Conflict a Sentinel Watch interview with Judith Hardy Olson
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Can our prayers make a tangible difference when it comes to overcoming conflict? Judith shares her experiences with praying about conflict and explains how our prayers can contribute to healing on the world stage.
Jesus makes plain that he is calling on us to practice the kind of universal love that God expresses.
This article is by John Tyler and was originally published for the Christian Science Sentinel online on February 8, 2023.
The world seems to be filled with good guys and bad guys. The good guys, of course, are those who agree with us; the bad guys are those who don’t. From the viewpoint of an us-versus-them mentality, those on our side are seen as friends and allies, and those on the other side as opponents, sometimes enemies.
And then there are those who are doing things that are harmful to us or to others—those who, in Christ Jesus’ words, “curse you, . . . hate you, and . . . despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
So how should we deal with those who oppose us? Click here to keep reading.
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
A Sentinel Watch interview with Joan Bernard Bradley
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In this interview Joan talks about how she overcame resentment over incidents of racial abuse and discrimination. She goes on to tell how through prayer and effort she has been able build respectful relationships in racially diverse settings.
.. God does not show favoritism. (The Bible NLT – Romans 2: 11)
God is no respecter of persons: … but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (The Bible KJV – Acts 10: 34, 35)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: (The Bible KJV – Galatians 3: 28)
Embracing Diversity – Can prayer really have an effect on the world? Joan Bernard Bradley discovered that learning to pray for herself taught her how to pray for her family and even her community.
Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
(The Bible, NKJV, I John 4: 7, 8, 20)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.