SAVING YOURSELF FROM STRIFE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.

Proverbs 30:32-33

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Look at the world around us and I’m pretty sure you see a lot of strife. Maybe you have it happening close to you within your family, community, or workplace.

The word “strife” has many other words associated with it. Conflict, friction, discord, disagreement, dissension, dispute, argument, quarreling, wrangling, bickering, and controversy to name a few. Note here one word that is absent, the word “peace”.

Indeed, strife and peace sit in opposition to one another. Where peace is a goal, strife will always be present to keep the goal from being accomplished, seeking instead to manifest differences, fights, battles, and wars. It’s strife that takes the calm away and replaces it with the storms.

So how do you know if you are one who causes strife?

If we look at our last verses from Proverbs, Chapter 30, and the words of Agur, we get some indicators:

If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. Proverbs 30:32-33

According to God’s word, strife creators:

1. Play the fool and exalt themselves.

“If you play the fool and exalt yourself”

In life, only the Lord God Almighty is to be exalted and He is the One who exalts others (Psalm 75:6-7). No man or woman is to exalt themselves or else they will be humbled (Luke 18:14). Thus, those who try to exalt themselves are simply fools, choosing to rival and create strife with the Lord God Almighty Himself. No mere person will ever come out on top of that match up.

2. Plan evil.

“If you plan evil”

Thinking evil thoughts is bad enough and evil plans begin with evil notions. Actually deciding to put those notions into action and create strife shows one has a complete disdain for righteousness and thus a complete disdain for the Lord God Almighty. And He will not sit idly by and allow that to happen. For His divine judgment and wrath will wipe out evil and those who perpetrate it will be subject to His consequences (Romans 2:8).

3. Stir up anger.

“Stirring up anger produces strife”

Of all the human emotions, perhaps none is as destructive and devastating as anger. I believe this is why Jesus had this to say about it:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22

Anger begets anger. It is infectious in the way it invades and provokes others to act in accord with the angry perpetrator. An angry person typically starts a verbal confrontation which in turn can become physical and once that happens, anything goes to include murder. This is what Jesus was getting at. Remove the root cause of murdering (anger), and instead of murder, you sustain life. Peace reigns over discord, love trumps hatred, righteousness defeats wickedness.

Can you see where we need the word of God to help us avoid strife?

One who reads where they will be judged if they get angry should ever strive to avoid anger because only a fool would wish for God’s judgment.

If a person knew that the word of God says, “Through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided”, then they would establish a sustaining, committed respect for the Lord that refuses to dishonor Him through sinful behavior of which evil is definitely included. Further, they would receive this following guidance from the scriptures:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

We’ll only do that when we consistently and persistently invoke the only One, the Lord God Almighty, who is perfectly good into our hearts, minds, and souls. He and only He will drive us to the kind of goodness that overcomes evil.

And when we seek out and receive the wisdom of the Lord through His precious, holy word, then we will be not be fools but rather people of wisdom who never seek to exalt ourselves because we are too busy exalting and honoring and glorifying God, our Maker and Creator, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend.

Want to save yourself from strife?

Yoke yourself with the One who was, is, and will always be the Prince of Peace.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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