Devotional Thoughts about Acts 15:36-41
In reading up on the disagreement between Barnabas and Paul, I found an opinion concluding that Paul was likely in the right because his choice of Silas as a new missionary partner was ratified by the church (15:40). But would even Paul himself have claimed that years later, once time had shown what a servant of the gospel John Mark had become? He was probably just thankful that Barnabas had done the mentoring job that he himself hadn’t been willing or able to do at the time.
We’re all very different, so it’s not surprising that sharp disagreements arise between friends. What do you do when a friendship goes wrong? Maybe you’ve offended someone, had a misunderstanding or been devastated to find out that the two of you think very differently about an important matter.
How do you go about setting things right? Paul’s practical guide to communication in Ephesians 4:25-32 calls for speaking the truth, not quarreling, turning away from what we’ve done wrong, encouraging with our words and being kind and forgiving as God has forgiven us.
It’s good to see evidence that Barnabas as well as Paul continued serving God (1 Corinthians 9:6) and that Paul’s opinion of John Mark had changed so drastically over the course of some 20 years that in the final days of his life he requested the company of that once immature kid who had turned into a valuable colleague (2 Timothy 4:11).
Lord, help me treasure my friends and not write them off when we have differences. Keep me praying for them and hoping that things will change.
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