Life Plan Devotion #48 [Spring Cleaning, Strife, Day 1]

On Saturday, my husband and I did some spring cleaning inside our home. It felt good to get rid of some stuff. It's nice to replace disorder with order, to banish the dirt and uncover the shine. We worked tirelessly, and, at the end of the day, we felt wonderfully spent. It was perfect groundwork for the Lord speaking to me, and now to you, about spring cleaning. There are things we need to get out of our house (both literally and figuratively).
The first item to clean out, throw out, get rid of is strife, in all its forms. Whether it's quarreling, insults, disorder, contention, dissension, or disputes, strife should have no place in our home (our body, as well as our physical dwelling place). Let's get strife out of our home!
Of course, that's easier said than done, but we're going to spend a few days looking at not only the problem of strife, but its solution. In the meantime, be thinking of the strife that you deal with, whether as an individual or collectively, as a family.

Proverbs 26:21 [NIV]
"As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife."

What this has to do with weight loss: I don't know why some people love a fight. Even in weight-loss support groups, we come across people who either try to start a fight or keep one going. It's really too bad, because it detracts from the supportive nature and purpose of "community." Maybe that could describe you, even. Commit to starting or feeding only fires that cause others to feel warmth in its glow.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, You have brought before me the issue of strife in my home, both in my body/mind/spirit and in my family. Help me to see the issue clearly, and as I meditate on what Your Word has to say about strife, over the next few days, give me a solution to every problem that strife has caused in my heart and life. I thank You, in advance, for the work You're going to do in and through me. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, determined to look for and get rid of strife in your life.