This is the third day we've spent spring cleaning, seeking to get strife out of our heart and home. It's hard work, I know, but well worth the effort.
There are 3 main Greek words for the word "strife," and in studying them, I noticed 3 main foundational issues, leading to 3 main outward manifestations. Perhaps you will see yourself in one of them, and if you are a parent, perhaps you'll see your child in one of them. Take care of the foundational issue/tendency/bent, and the outward manifestation will be taken care of, as well.
1) Tendency toward disobedience leads to the outward manifestation of disputes.
2) Tendency toward intrigue/drama leads to the outward manifestation of factions.
3) Tendency toward disputing about trifles leads to fighting battles.
If any of those struck a chord with you, pay attention to what God's Word has to say about them and how to solve the problem.
Philippians 2:3 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Romans 13:13 encourages us to "behave decently,...not in dissension and jealousy." Anyone who is a follower of Jesus is His servant/worker, and II Timothy 2:24 says that "The Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."
Remember the old saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"? Excellent advice! Does your family have a Life Quote? If not, and your home tends to see (and hear) strife, why not adopt this one: "Love is fluently spoken here."
Proverbs 10:12b [NIV]
"...love covers over all wrongs."
What this has to do with weight loss: Each of us will "blow it" on this weight-loss journey, probably more than once. We may cause someone else to feel pain, due to our reactions to our own inner struggles, as a result of our weight or diet issues. At those times, let us remember that "love covers over all wrongs." Love yourself and love others. Let love guide your life, and your failures will be few.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, it is my heartfelt desire to clean out my heart and home of strife, in all its forms, and to do it today. I need Your help, though, Lord, for only You can give me the strength needed to do so. Fill my heart and home with Your Love, so that there's no room for anything else that shouldn't be there. Where there is strife, let me sow love. May love become the very foundation of our home, and it will be...when we allow You to be the Head of our home. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, letting love guide your life.
The S.T.A.R.T. Program (Strategies To Achieve Recovery & Transformation) CD, produced especially for the bariatric patient, is available at http://www.cdeanhall.com/products.html. Check out the sound bite for each track.
Showing posts with label strife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strife. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Life Plan Devotion #49 [Spring Cleaning--Strife, Day 2]
Yesterday, we began a new mini-devotional series called "Spring Cleaning." The first thing we want to get out of our home is strife.
I spent a number of years as a high school English teacher. I loved teaching, and I loved kids. Most of my students called me Mama Law, a name they came up with, so they saw me as a mother figure.
One year, near the end of the school year, because my seniors had just graduated, I spent most of my afternoon in the pod (storage room in the middle with 4 classrooms that spidered out from there), cleaning and taking inventory of the books.
You could hear most everything from each classroom, when in the pod, and I became a reluctant hearer of an unfortunate confrontation. All of a sudden, I heard the teacher yell, "Pick up that balled-up piece of paper you tossed at the trash can and throw it away properly," to which the male student replied, "No." The conversation, frustration, words, and threats escalated from there, very quickly. Just as I was about to call the office, I heard a very loud crash, which resulted from the student pulling over a bookcase full of books, onto the floor. All of this happened over a piece of trash!
If only the teacher had known or taken to heart what the Bible has to say, in II Timothy 2:23, "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." It's so true, that "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam," and the advice of "so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out" is so wise (Proverbs 17:14).
Proverbs 15:8 says that "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Anger is at the root of every quarrel. Anger is an emotion, and every emotion is God-given, but as Ephesians 4:26 cautions, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." Anger can be expressed in appropriate ways, and things should be worked out before the sun sets.
If your home sees quarreling, clean up the quarrels and get them out! Work to make your home a haven of rest.
Proverbs 15:1 [NIV]
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
What this has to do with weight loss: Sometimes the dieting part of our weight-loss journey can give us a seemingly-terminal case of the grumps, especially if we're craving carbs or trying to wean off them! It's important to think before you speak, to be aware of what you're saying, to avoid the cycle of frustration and angry words, and replace them with gentle speak. Your family shouldn't suffer because you're dieting.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I recognize that there are times when I get involved in foolish and stupid arguments. I repent for the times that I stirred things up with my words, when I could have responded gently and diffused the situation. Lord, I long for my home to be a haven of rest, a respite from the often cruel world. Help me to be aware of what I'm saying and how I'm voicing my words. Help me to root out all quarreling from my home. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, speaking words of gentleness.
Help your daughter avoid psychos, players, punks, and pervs by giving her The Guy Detector by C. Dean Hall, available at http://www.cdeanhall.com/products.html.
I spent a number of years as a high school English teacher. I loved teaching, and I loved kids. Most of my students called me Mama Law, a name they came up with, so they saw me as a mother figure.
One year, near the end of the school year, because my seniors had just graduated, I spent most of my afternoon in the pod (storage room in the middle with 4 classrooms that spidered out from there), cleaning and taking inventory of the books.
You could hear most everything from each classroom, when in the pod, and I became a reluctant hearer of an unfortunate confrontation. All of a sudden, I heard the teacher yell, "Pick up that balled-up piece of paper you tossed at the trash can and throw it away properly," to which the male student replied, "No." The conversation, frustration, words, and threats escalated from there, very quickly. Just as I was about to call the office, I heard a very loud crash, which resulted from the student pulling over a bookcase full of books, onto the floor. All of this happened over a piece of trash!
If only the teacher had known or taken to heart what the Bible has to say, in II Timothy 2:23, "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." It's so true, that "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam," and the advice of "so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out" is so wise (Proverbs 17:14).
Proverbs 15:8 says that "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Anger is at the root of every quarrel. Anger is an emotion, and every emotion is God-given, but as Ephesians 4:26 cautions, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." Anger can be expressed in appropriate ways, and things should be worked out before the sun sets.
If your home sees quarreling, clean up the quarrels and get them out! Work to make your home a haven of rest.
Proverbs 15:1 [NIV]
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
What this has to do with weight loss: Sometimes the dieting part of our weight-loss journey can give us a seemingly-terminal case of the grumps, especially if we're craving carbs or trying to wean off them! It's important to think before you speak, to be aware of what you're saying, to avoid the cycle of frustration and angry words, and replace them with gentle speak. Your family shouldn't suffer because you're dieting.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I recognize that there are times when I get involved in foolish and stupid arguments. I repent for the times that I stirred things up with my words, when I could have responded gently and diffused the situation. Lord, I long for my home to be a haven of rest, a respite from the often cruel world. Help me to be aware of what I'm saying and how I'm voicing my words. Help me to root out all quarreling from my home. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, speaking words of gentleness.
Help your daughter avoid psychos, players, punks, and pervs by giving her The Guy Detector by C. Dean Hall, available at http://www.cdeanhall.com/products.html.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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.
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.
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