We Stop Useless Strife Through a Heart Committed to Christ – (Proverbs 17:14)

Daily Bible Study
Just as a simple leak can cause a dam to give way, so to a little strife or small argument can cause the releasing of anger and frustration that ruins a friendship and destroys a relationship. Small quarrels if we're not careful can lead to much larger divisions. Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are called to seek honesty, humility and integrity, but above all, love for others first and foremost. We are called by Jesus to review our own hearts, looking at our true motivations and desires and how they contribute to the contentions we experience. We have to understand that our sin nature loves to boast about self, and to do that requires casting others in a bad light. Therefore, as children of God, we have to take extra care to put the spiritual needs and the welfare of others ahead of our own desires and personal gain. That includes our social popularity, emotional gain as well as our material gain. And hardest of all, we have to understand that pride has no use in God's kingdom work.

In other words, God is asking us to look at the sin of our own hearts and how it contributes to our own fleshly desires, our wants, our selfishness, including the greed and envy in our hearts, which will give rise to arguments and quarrels. As followers of Jesus, we are to examine ourselves before the Lord and to put the needs of others and their welfare ahead of our own desires! We are not acting out of a self-righteous heart, nor greed, nor envy, nor our personal desires. Instead, we are to act out of love for Christ and for others. We have to remember pride is a sin and along with foolishness, it's one of the character traits God cannot use for His kingdom work. Moreover, we are to learn to put others before ourselves, to make others more important than ourselves. And when we have learned to do this through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are better equipped for God's service and we are better prepared to stop useless contentions. In addition, it makes us better equipped to help those who are lost as we become more useful for the kingdom of God. We are then prepared by God to help those who are hurting, seek those who are lost and deal lovingly with others when contentions arise.