Walk of Life, Day 20 – August,2020 – Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 20: 3 “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.”
To cease from strife, to dissolve an argument, to stay far from a strife we require the most important ingredient which could also bring peace into our lives. It is very simple, just be humble, and you will find yourself away from all contentions. However, it is the toughest job to do for most of us.
Strife occurs on disagreement of any two parties on a fundamental issue. Everyone has a right to have their opinion. This might be wrong in other’s point of view so they have equal right to disagree. It is fine to have your own opinion. Not just having an opinion, it is even fine when you share your opinion with others. Strife arises when you start forcing the other person to agree with you.
We live in a world where many evils are carried by people in a misconception of “self-respect”. When someone does not agree with their opinion the person feels that their self-respect got hurt. But it is not self-respect, it is their ego.
Whenever we find anyone doing wrong, we do not leave a chance in educating them repeatedly and sometimes violently. When they do not agree with us, we start feeling bad that they have insulted us. Being a child of God, we are bound to abide by the teachings of the Lord Jesus. No one can become perfect overnight. We learn through our experiences which are allowed by the Lord Jesus in the course of life. The teaching that we need to remind ourselves during this context is that we should be peacemakers not trouble makers (Read Matthew 5:9). To be a peacemaker we need to realize a fact.
We are dead to this world! This reminds me of a funny incident which took place long back. An old lady was cleaning the floor of her house. She finished cleaning and entered the kitchen and found a cat lying on the kitchen floor. She started shouting at the cat, so that the cat would wake up and walk away. However, the cat did not respond so the old lady started scolding the cat. Even then the cat did not respond. It is because the cat was dead.
It is true that when we remind ourselves that we are nothing but dead bodies to this world then it will be easy for us to be far from strife. We do not react when someone accuses us for wrong reasons. Self-respect and ego have no place in us. For a strife to cease as we have read in the beginning, any one person should accept the defeat. Accepting defeat even when you are right is tough until you strongly believe that the world has nothing to do with you. All you need to care for is the Lord’s judgement. As long as you try to analyze the matter, it becomes worse and gives an opportunity for others to call you a fool.
Some of them stay quiet but devise wicked plans in their mind to insult the oppressor. They plan for a revenge. Is this okay with God? No. We read in the verse 22 that we should wait on the Lord. Revenge is from the Lord. Our only duty is to wait for the judgement which comes from the Lord. He has no respect of persons. It is hard and it is a must to wait for the Lord to respond.
By staying humble and submitting the matter into the hands of the Lord Jesus, we can be far from strife and be wise.
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
As your child I should be a peacemaker. I should be far from strife and if I find myself in any help me not to meddle and make a fool of myself. Remind me that I am dead to this world and nothing of this world should affect me. Lord you are the one who will save me. In you I trust and will wait. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
