April 17, 2013 Peace and Quiet

Read Proverbs 17 Peace and Quiet Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. WHAT do you notice here about strife? If a dry crust is better than strife, then strife tastes pretty awful doesn’t it? You’ve likely been at a family meal when a disagreement erupts between two at the table. Suddenly the delicious food is tasteless. Your appetite goes away, and the argument hangs over the table as a dark cloud ready to burst forth its destructive winds. Or you’re having a great time out for the evening on a date or with your spouse. Then suddenly a disagreement over a minor thing becomes a major thing. The pleasant evening evaporates into gut-wrenching anger. Oh, yes, strife tastes awful. So how can you keep it off the table of your relationships? God has some strife-preventing advice for you. See in Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Humility, my friends, is an appetizing morsel that opens your life to peace and quiet. Often strife occurs because you or someone else pridefully insists on “my way”. Neither side was willing to say, “I’m sorry.” or “You could be right.” Certainly no one said, “I’m wrong.” Of course, the greatest humility example is the Lord Jesus Christ. Look in Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Remarkable, isn’t it? God personally confronted sin’s strife with his humility. Humility is a very tasty morsel, indeed. It’s True! Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.