As for me, I feel that the last drops of my life are being poured out for God. The time for my departure has arrived. The glorious fight that God gave me I have fought, the course that I was set I have finished, and I have kept the faith. The future for me holds the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the true judge, will give to me in that day. -2 Timothy 4:6-8 (Modern English translation) ...
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. -Matthew 10:34-36 As a Christian, I am called to win over hearts and minds to Christ. But I am more often called to do so with gentle cajoling than with angry confrontation. There are two major problems with confrontation. First, if I am honest with myself, I will see that my confrontation is often rooted in my own anger rather than in Christian love. Second, in the promotion of Christian values and ideals, confrontation is often an ineffective tool. It causes the person being confronted to be defensive of the status quo rather than open to new ideas or new ways of life. If, however, I couch my words in unconditional love and acceptance, then that person will feel less threatened by the challenge to change. The old adage is true: I can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. ...
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. -Jeremiah 29:11-14 ...