Strife Or Life?

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:18

Hercules, according to legend, grew increasingly irritated by a menacing animal that kept blocking his path. He angrily struck the animal with his club, killing it. As he continued on his path, he kept encountering the same animal, each time more menacing than before. At last, a friend warned Hercules to stop his furious assaults. “The monster is Strife, and you are stirring it up,” said the messenger. “Just let it alone, and it will shrivel and die.”

Our newspapers are full of stories about strife. We read about nations disrupted by civil strife, athletes upset by team strife, companies suffering labor strife, of homes troubled by marital strife.

The Bible uses the word strife many times. Solomon said, “Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife” (Proverbs 17:1). And Paul said, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in . . . strife and envy” (Romans 13:13).

Are you stirring up strife? We’re not responsible for the actions and reactions of others, but we are responsible for our own. Put on the Lord Jesus, evict strife from your life, forgive that grudge, and seek to live peaceably with all.