Those who enjoy, initiate, or perpetuate quarrels are fools. The Lord values and honors the person mature enough to keep aloof from strife. It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. They are nothing but schoolyard foolishness. And to back down from a fight is cowardly.īut such notions are contrary to the Lord’s definition of honor. Sometimes we get this crazy idea that protecting one’s honor means not turning aside from a threat or a fight. And the way we fight is what makes the difference. Make no mistake: Enemies are real, and God wants his people not to fall before enemies but to overcome them. And at other times, perhaps in rejection of the punching-bag approach, Christians harden themselves to the point of arrogance and condescension toward their opponents.īut what does it mean to fight like a Christian in situations of strife? Sometimes Christians think God wants them to become punching bags. Or extended family members who point out your every flaw, claim they know you but they really don’t, and wield their expectations and gossip like hot pokers to manipulate you into doing what they want. Or classmates who act respectfully in public, but in private their mouths pour forth repulsive profanity and epithets in your direction. These are situations with neighbors or coworkers who find every opportunity to ridicule your Christian faith and try to make you angry so you slip up. The book of Proverbs refers to such situations as “strife.” By “conflict,” I’m referring not to everyday disagreements, but to the sort of disagreements that look like knock-down, drag-em-out fights, that turn people into enemies of one another.
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