Living with STRIFE:

By Rev. Hansen

Let us turn to Proverbs 3

These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, David's son He wrote them to teach his people how to live--how to act in every circumstance, for he wanted them to be understanding, just and fair in everything they did ``I want to make the simple-minded wise!'' he said. ``I want to warn young men about some problems they will face. I want those already wise to become the wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.''

Proverbs 3

1. My son, never forget the things I've taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. 3. Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. 4. If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself.

6. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

7. Don't be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality. 9. Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.

13. The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16. Wisdom gives: A long, good life Riches Honor Pleasure and Peace

18. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it.

19. The Lord's wisdom founded the earth; his understanding established all the universe and space.

20. The deep fountains of the earth were broken open by his knowledge, and the skies poured down rain.

21. Have two goals: wisdom--that is, knowing and doing right--and common sense. Don't let them slip away, 22. for they fill you with living energy, and bring you honor and respect. 23. They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. 24. With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you. 27. Don't withhold repayment of your debts. Don't say ``some other time,'' if you can pay now.

29. Don't plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. 30. Don't get into needless fights.

31. Don't envy violent men. Don't copy their ways. 32. For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship to the godly. 33. The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright. 34. The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. 35. The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!

PROV 3:30

Don't get into needless fights. How often do we choose a fight wisely? We often times let our ego do the fighting as our brain takes a back seat to common sense. A small man would not normally argue with a larger, stronger man by nature. He would pick his fight wisely. But let his ego get in the way, and things get ugly fast. When our ego is bruised, we become giants – Pick and choose your battles, Don’t get into needless fights. Proverbs 17: 14. It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don't let it begin.

.25:8 Don't be hot-headed and rush to court! You may start something you can't finish and go down before your neighbor in shameful defeat. So discuss the matter with him privately. Don't tell anyone else, lest he accuse you of slander and you can't withdraw what you said. Romans 13:11-14 Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. 12. The night is far gone, the day of his return will soon be here. So quit the evil deeds of darkness and put on the armor of right living, as we who live in the daylight should! Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don't spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk or in adultery and lust, or fighting, or jealousy. 14. But ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help you live as you should, and don't make plans to enjoy evil.

I like what Paul had to say about quarreling, and jealousy. Paul, said in 1 Corinthians 3

1. Dear brothers, I have been talking to you as though you were still just babies in the Christian life, who are not following the Lord, but following your own desires; I cannot talk to you as I would to healthy Christians, who are filled with the Spirit. 2. I have had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn't digest anything stronger. And even now you still have to be fed on milk. 3. For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God's. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn't that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don't belong to the Lord at all. In Proverbs 17, we read in verse 4. The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are wicked; liars enjoy liars. Oh how true that line is. Take a look around you, there’s little groups of people trying to one up the other’s tales. Fisherman tell about how they caught the biggest fish, the funny thing is it grows each time they tell the story. Drug users hang around other drug users and drinkers hang around drinkers. They all want the fellowship of those with like minds. In Verse 11. The wicked live for rebellion; they shall be severely punished. In the world of addiction, those who are caught up in its path of turmoil will often times loose everything that they hold dear to them. They’ll loose family, homes, cars, jobs and much more all for the addiction. The tragic part is, they loose themselves and their own self-respect along the way as well. Our sinful, and selfish nature is the root of our trouble. We will try to control things that we have no control over. We force those we love to hate us by constantly bickering at them, or nick picking them to death, or just ignoring them entirely. In order for us to have a good relationship with others, we must first understand that we need to have a good relationship with ourselves and our father in heaven. We have to trust in his judgement, his love and his direction. We may be faced with some things that we don’t necessarily like, such as jobs or a home. They may be less than what we wanted or hoped for. But when we focus on God’s plan we can become the light to the world, and the salt of the earth. We become the living water that others can drink from. To learn from. Yes each of are teachers of the word to those who don’t know Jesus Christ.

In my line of work, I stand here before you as a teacher not as a preacher. I let you drink up as much water as you need, and then offer to fill you vessels so you can carry it with you through out the day. As a preacher, I am like the shepherd who tends to the lost sheep. Making sure that no harm should befall anyone here. If I see you are staying off the path I reach out and bring you back to the fold in safety. God does this each and every day when we are outside these walls. He does this with you, and with me. Yes even I stray from the path of righteousness every now and then. It’s by grace that he leads us home. He brings us back again and again to his fold, and his church for that proper fellowship we all crave.

Christians, ours is a narrow path to walk upon, we’re often tempted by sin to join the others at parties, at a bar, or at the movies. Unless we wear the armor of God daily, this can lead us farther and farther away from his grace. In our minds we justify our actions, and ourselves. but in the eyes of the lord, we’ve strayed far from the path of righteousness. When we’re confronted by those we love or who care about us. We become defensive and argumentative with ourselves inside for we know we’ve strayed. Then we lash out at them because we can’t admit our errors. We feel in a sense that our self-worth, and self-will has been threatened when people call it to our attention. And thus starts the arguments, which leads us to strife. Our lives become out of control. In turn we blame those around us unnecessarily for the slightest things. As Christians, We have to learn how to choose our battles wisely, and trust in God’s grace for our lives. Learning to live life on life’s terms doing that which is right in his namesake to bring honor and glory to our father in heaven. Proverbs 16: 24. Kind words are like honey--enjoyable and healthful. 28. An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends. 29. Wickedness loves company--and leads others into sin. 30. The wicked man stares into space with pursed lips, deep in thought, planning his evil deeds.32. It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is better to have self-control than to control an army. 33. We toss the coin, but it is the Lord who controls its decision.

Let us pray.. Heavenly Father bless us today, and help us to know your wisdom in all things. Help us to be forgiving of those around us. Teach us to love as you would love. Ever reminding us that when things are upsetting or out of balance in our life, help us to keep our minds focused on you Lord. For in you all things are possible. Teach us the meaning of forgiving our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

In Jesus Name we pray Amen.