Read: Prov. 17:14-19, 27-28
A man of understanding is of a calm spirit. --- Proverbs 17:27
The Bible In One Year:
Psalms 66-68
A spectacular air battle raged outside our window. Skilled, speedy flyers swarmed through the air, diving down from above, zooming in from left and right, climbing from underneath to knock the others out of the fight. The air was alive with sounds as they attacked, eluded, hovered, and struck out at one another.
"Scrappy little things, aren't they?" my wife, Shirley, observed. Six hummingbirds filled the air with darting motion, hovering and whirring as they fought for the three positions on our red hummingbird feeder. "Why can't they just be patient?" she wondered.
Like so many disputes and quarrels that plague the church, these battles were totally unnecessary. The feeder held plenty of nectared water. We refilled it every day. Yet for hours at a time, no hummers came near it --- until they all wanted it. They seemed to prefer a good scrap.
Quarrels among believers in Jesus Christ bring dishonor to Him. They create wounds in our brothers and sisters, leaving scars. "It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can quarrel," says Proverbs 20:3. And "He who has knowledge spares his words" [17:27].
How much better it is when we speak gentle words of peace, not angry words of strife! --- Dave Egner
Like bullets flying through the air,
Our words can shatter peace;
The Spirit helps control the tongue,
And then the quarrels cease. --- Egner
TWO CANNOT QUARREL WHEN ONE WILL NOT.
No comments:
Post a Comment