THE POWER OF DIALOGUE

 Gen 19, Matt 18, Neh 8, Acts 18

Isaiah 1:18 come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 13:6-10

Dialogue is the most effective way of solving or dealing with human relationship problems. The absence of dialogue breeds many problems. When you study the relationship between Lot and Abram , one thing you will notice is the absence of dialogue .From the moment Abram decided to take Lot with him in Genesis 12:5 to Genesis 13:7 where fight broke out between their herdsmen , the bible did not record any dialogue between them. The absence of dialogue between Abram and Lot led to strife between their herdsmen. Both parties were aware that the land was not able to support them because of their possessions, instead of talking about it they kept quiet. Because they kept quiet the relationship between the two began to suffer. One of the causes of problems in relationship is that people shy away from issues; before you know it the relationship begins to suffer. The absence of dialogue hinders the realization of the potentials in a relationship. The relationship between Abram and his cousin – Lot had a lot of potentials. In Genesis 14:1-6, we see one of the potentials when Lot got into trouble and Abram mobilized kings to come to the rescue of his cousin. Both parties would not have been able to realize this potential if they had not dialogued when there was strife between the herdsmen. The absence of dialogue also gives room to unhealthy assumption. Before any strife, there would always be give away signs that all is not well. Before fight broke out between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, there must have been give way signs that all is not well. Because there was no dialogue, they just assumed all was well between the herdsmen. The fact that people are quiet in a relationship does not mean they are happy in the relationship. Lastly, dialogue creates an atmosphere for providing lasting solutions to the problems at hand. The dialogue between Abram and Lot provided solutions to the problems between the herdsmen. Not only that, it also birthed a way forward. During the dialogue, a suggestion came up that the land should be divided into two: Lot will pick a portion and Abram will pick the other.

Humans are in existence today as a result of the dialogue between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:26. In Isaiah 1:18, we see the Almighty God encouraging a dialogue between Himself and man. He said ‘come now, and let us reason together’. Why would God want to dialogue with man? Because He understood the power of dialogue. From the day Abram and Lot sat down to dialogue, their relationship took a positive turn. From that moment onward, there was no record of any contention between them again; the bond between them grew stronger. In that relationship with your spouse encourage dialogue so as to ensure that everyone is happy. In that relationship with your children, encourage dialogue so as to know what they are going through and provide the necessary assistance. In that business relationship encourage dialogues to avoid assumptions.

ACTION POINT: In relationships, encourage dialogue.