Avoid strife

‘Where… strife is, there is… every evil work.’ James 3:16 KJV

The apostle Paul encourages us to act out of love, live in harmony and be of one mind. He adds, ‘Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves.

Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.’ (Philippians 2:2–4 GWT) Strife wreaks havoc in relationships. It often stems from an inflated ego and leads to comparing, competing, and condemning.

James points that out: ‘Where… strife is, there is… every evil work.’ So be a strife-spotter! The moment it rears its ugly head—uproot it! ‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.

Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT) If you want to walk in God’s blessing today, try to live in harmony with others. Is that always easy? No, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better things will go for you. When God prompts you to ‘turn the other cheek’, or ‘take the short end of the stick’, draw on His grace and do it.

Pray: ‘Lord, give me Your wisdom in this situation.’ He will. ‘The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and… good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere.