Friday, February 26th, ‘10

Friday, February 26^th, ‘10

SELF-DESTRUCTION

“A home filled with strife and division destroys itself” (Mark 3:25 TLB)

Every person made of human flesh is prone to brief bouts with strife. This verse, far worse, speaks of a home “filled” with strife and division. Sunup to sundown Goliath can be heard challenging the opposing army. Spitting, spatting and spouting off can erupt at the drop of a hat. The idiocy of it is in thinking that proving one’s point scores a point. Marriage isn’t like athletics. You’re never a winner if you win an argument. The only win is when both partners win. A standoff is a tie, not a win, and a tie doesn’t infer that both parties won, it just as easily means that both lost. So wisdom looks for a way to offer the other the trophy.

Look at the self-destructiveness of strife. In context, the above text is speaking of Satan’s kingdom being divided against itself. Is your home Satan’s kingdom or God’s? The atmosphere decides the allegiance. “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16). Pastor Keith Moore states that “strife is evidence that division is at work. Peace is evidence that love is at work”. We speak of the “manifest presence of God”, the atmosphere of love that begets miracles. Strife is the manifest presence of the devil. When that spirit is at work in a home the end is “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). Self-worth is destroyed. Vision for the future is destroyed. Children caught in the crossfire are destroyed. A “family splintered by feuding will fall apart” (Mat 12:25 NLT).

As “wringing the nose produces blood, so forcing of wrath produces strife” (Prov 30:33). What an image! Arguing is like pinching and twisting someone’s nose. An emotional nosebleed doesn’t soak Kleenexes but it does sever any hope for closeness. Notice the wording – it doesn’t say that wrath produces strife but “the forcing of wrath”. Irritation wouldn’t turn into wrath if someone didn’t force the issue. A constant drip-drip pushes to the brink. Recoil is inevitable. It would have been easier to take a deep breath or walk to the other room or answer with a smile and big hug than to defend rights. I’m not offering a solution here just urging you to take the first step in defusing your own time bombs. At least add a few minutes to the timer. Along with the vivid image of “wringing the nose”, try picturing two boxers after several rounds in a knock-down drag-out fight. Soon they start hugging each other to ward off punches. Then the ref separates them and they have at it again till exhaustion makes them fall on each other’s shoulder again. As long as you’re hugging each other you won’t be bugging each other. Begin there.