(Prov 20:3 NIV) It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
This morning we continue in the book of Proverbs I had a great conversation with my Co worker yesterday about God's love. Jesus explained how God's love is supposed to be our identifying characteristic (see John 13:34-35). Love is what sets us apart. The Good News Bible translation of this verse reads: "Any fool can start arguments; the honorable thing is to stay out of them." Sure, anyone can pick a fight/argument, but when you walk in the love of God you are able to control your emotions long enough to speak from your spirit; to speak the things that God would have you to say and not what you would have said in your BC (before Christ) days.
In the last chapter Solomon said, "Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs" (19:11). When we fail to repay evil with evil, spite with spite, or disrespect with disrespect - because we are able to control our temper/emotions - we are actually showing our level of maturity in Christ. The more we grow in Christ the more it should show as we deal with others. John brings this out in his first letter; he wrote: "If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both" (1st John 4:20,21). When you walk in love, when you are able to love others (even those that seem unlovable), you display the fact that you are a man/woman of honor and you can quickly earn the respect of the person you are dealing with and others.
Paul said, "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." What kind of witness would you have if you display a fish on the back of your car, a cross around your neck, a scripture on the bottom of your email signature block, and a WWJD wristband, only to be the person to is argumentative, confrontational, and antagonistic towards everyone? None of the previously mentioned 'outward signs' of being a Christian mean anything if others can't SEE Christ IN you.
The bottom line is: you must do all that you can to avoid foolish arguing. What starts off as a single word spoken in anger can quickly erupt into a major fight. Once emotions are flared up people say things they will later regret and feelings get hurt. Like the old saying, "Sin will take you where you don't want to go, make you stay longer than you want to stay, and spend more than you can afford." Minor disputes have a way of growing to major proportions. So it is better to stop the dispute while it is still insignificant - or to avoid it altogether!
So what does this mean to you ? It all comes down to walking in love. Love refuses to let an issue fester and if at all possible, love seeks to avoid disputes before they every get started. I will close with the words of Paul: "Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry-but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life... Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift" (Eph 4:26, 27 & 29).
Father, I thank You for the reminder again this morning that You expect me to walk in love. I seek to live in peace with everyone and I refuse to allow myself to drawn into petty arguments. I avoid arguments altogether, but if one does start I will quickly squash it. I will not allow an argument to cause me to lose control of my emotions. I rule over my emotions and they do not rule over me. Even if I do get angry, I will never go to bed angry. I will resolve all issues quickly so that they do not develop into major catastrophes in my life. Walking in love helps me to live without undue stress and strife. Walking in love is awesome and I thank You for enabling me to do it by Your grace and with Your Spirit! In Jesus' name. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment