Dodger: Hi there! How has going back to school been? Thanks for joining us today. It's always good to see you.
Lilly: I kind of wish vacation had been longer, personally, but I agree with Dodger. I'm glad you're here.
Dodger: At last the new year has come, and with it the promise of God's blessing and joy- not that 2014 didn't have those. It did.
Lilly: We know what you meant Dodger. You know, now that we're back in classes, I can't help but think about these two friends of mine. They asked me for some advice and said that as long as I didn't identify them by name, I could talk to you and our friend about advice to give them.
Dodger: Kinda vague. What sort of advice do they want?
Lilly: Well, they've been disagreeing about different things for a while. Whether it's which Disney film is the best or how many cat videos are on YouTube they can't ever seem to stop arguing. It's dizzying, frankly, and even though they are good friends, they're starting to get heated and don't even want to get near each other anymore.
Dodger: Are they named Euodia and Syntyche?
Lilly: No way! What kind of goofy names are those?
Dodger: The kind that two women in the book of Phillipians had.
Lilly: Okay...well, what about them?
Dodger: Well, they're famous for disagreeing.
Lilly: Really?
Dodger: Yep. In fact, if you read chapter 4, Paul says in verse two: "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." (NKJV) For whatever reason, these two weren't getting along, and Paul saw it as needing to be addressed.
Lilly: I see. I don't know what kind of help that gives my buddies, though.
Dodger: Well, they can ask themselves and each other whether their fighting is really worthwhile. Paul says in the next verse that both these women helped Him spread the Gospel. They had at least Paul and Jesus in common. What about your friends?
Lilly: Actually, they've both worked at the food bank, both enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia, and both go to the same Church. In fact, they both love Jesus a lot.
Dodger: Bingo! Instead of emphasizing how much they disagree, they should discuss and emphasize the things they do agree on. I bet they could accomplish a lot together if they agreed to work together for Jesus rather than disagree all the time. After all, it's far more important that they be friends and serve God than that just one of them be "right".
Lilly: Does the chapter say whether Euodia and Syntyche ever started agreeing again?
Dodger: No. We hope so. The power of God to reconcile people is really great. Your friends have a great advantage in Christ. I think the best advice I know of for your friends would be that they agree with each other in Jesus. It's also a good idea for you to pray for them. After all, God's more important than Disney films, and His children are way too important to Him for them to be fighting.
Lilly: I'll wholeheartedly agree with that.
Dodger: Well, it's time to go again. Thanks for joining us! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Sala hantle!
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
Lilly: I kind of wish vacation had been longer, personally, but I agree with Dodger. I'm glad you're here.
Dodger: At last the new year has come, and with it the promise of God's blessing and joy- not that 2014 didn't have those. It did.
Lilly: We know what you meant Dodger. You know, now that we're back in classes, I can't help but think about these two friends of mine. They asked me for some advice and said that as long as I didn't identify them by name, I could talk to you and our friend about advice to give them.
Dodger: Kinda vague. What sort of advice do they want?
Lilly: Well, they've been disagreeing about different things for a while. Whether it's which Disney film is the best or how many cat videos are on YouTube they can't ever seem to stop arguing. It's dizzying, frankly, and even though they are good friends, they're starting to get heated and don't even want to get near each other anymore.
Dodger: Are they named Euodia and Syntyche?
Lilly: No way! What kind of goofy names are those?
Dodger: The kind that two women in the book of Phillipians had.
Lilly: Okay...well, what about them?
Dodger: Well, they're famous for disagreeing.
Lilly: Really?
Dodger: Yep. In fact, if you read chapter 4, Paul says in verse two: "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." (NKJV) For whatever reason, these two weren't getting along, and Paul saw it as needing to be addressed.
Lilly: I see. I don't know what kind of help that gives my buddies, though.
Dodger: Well, they can ask themselves and each other whether their fighting is really worthwhile. Paul says in the next verse that both these women helped Him spread the Gospel. They had at least Paul and Jesus in common. What about your friends?
Lilly: Actually, they've both worked at the food bank, both enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia, and both go to the same Church. In fact, they both love Jesus a lot.
Dodger: Bingo! Instead of emphasizing how much they disagree, they should discuss and emphasize the things they do agree on. I bet they could accomplish a lot together if they agreed to work together for Jesus rather than disagree all the time. After all, it's far more important that they be friends and serve God than that just one of them be "right".
Lilly: Does the chapter say whether Euodia and Syntyche ever started agreeing again?
Dodger: No. We hope so. The power of God to reconcile people is really great. Your friends have a great advantage in Christ. I think the best advice I know of for your friends would be that they agree with each other in Jesus. It's also a good idea for you to pray for them. After all, God's more important than Disney films, and His children are way too important to Him for them to be fighting.
Lilly: I'll wholeheartedly agree with that.
Dodger: Well, it's time to go again. Thanks for joining us! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Sala hantle!
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
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