Gold Nugget
Verse 3: “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel.”
Commentary
“I don’t
care who started it, I’m about to finish it!” Many of us have heard this from
our parents growing up and almost as many have continued the tradition of this
saying with our children. Putting an end to a quarrel is often times unachievable
by the actual participants. Growing up, we needed an outside intervention to
stop our fights. Those of us that never learned any different, often still
require an outside intervention to stop a fight. Ask a police officer or judge
and they will attest that many times they have had to “finish it for them”. It
takes a great deal of discipline to pull your dogs out of the fight. My
grandmother used to say, “It takes two to tango”. I had an issue with that
claim until I got old enough to see the truth. Although one party may be
absolutely wrong and the other absolutely right, it still takes two participants
in the ring to have a bout. It takes a special element in someone that will
enable them to suffer their pride, give up their ground and turn from a fight.
This special element is not a stock item in the Steve Vaughn edition. It is in
my nature to hold my ground, make an argument and not be defeated. That being
said, I have learned some and am still learning that not all fights are worth
the reward. If you attack my children, there’s more fight in me than you have
to give, but not everything is worthy of such a retaliation. Sometimes a
victory by one side is still a loss for both. Although it is probably true of
many of us that we do not posses this trait or element that enables us to walk
away, we can still accomplish this difficult task. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, we
learn a valuable and irreplaceable lesson concerning what we cannot possibly do
and yet still accomplish. We learn that even when we are not strong enough to
accomplish a certain thing, that’s when God likes to work the most. We see that
accomplishing what we cannot possibly accomplish testifies of the power of God
in our lives. In that, He receives
glory. You may have a situation where you just don’t want to pull your dogs out
of the fight. Anyone can start a fight, but only one that will submit to the
will of God and quit for Him, will receive honor. That is, the kind of honor
that testifies of God being in them. Today’s “gold nugget” reminds us that, “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a
quarrel.”
Prayer
Lord,
today I take my dogs out of the fight. It is in my nature to stay in the fight,
but even in victory; both sides would surely lose. I receive the strength from
you that enables me to do what I am not capable of doing. I pull myself out of
the ring. The battle is yours. Amen
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