Proverbs 17:14

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Proverbs 17:14

Have you ever been wronged, and the reaction of your flesh is to react with venom, yet in spirit, you know you should hold your peace? You feel yourself teetering on a precipice, knowing how satisfying it would be in the flesh to respond insultingly while at the same time knowing that a child of God is supposed to be Christ-like. The truth is, once you vent what you should not say, you cannot bottle it back up, for trying to do so is akin to gathering water with your hands. The correct action is never to say what is pleasing to the flesh in the first place. James likens our tongue to a fire (James 3:16), and once a fire breaks out, the damage is done.

The solution to handling strife and contention is always to be Christ-like, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can always be inching closer to exhibiting more and more of the characteristics of Jesus, including kindness and patience. We can never obtain the perfection of Jesus, but we can pursue it. God will work on us until the day we die (Philippians 1:7), and it is our job to yield to Him. Father, mold us more and more into the image of Jesus, and may your Spirit in us cause us to shine on a world that needs Jesus.

Pastor Jeff Mericle