What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? – James 4:1
Whether it is an inner battle of desire or an other battle for power, honour, prestige or for one to be right, such things are common to men. No one is exempt from the struggle for self-will to be right and number one. The Apostles in the very presence of the Lord argued over who was better and who would sit in the best seats with the Lord in the coming kingdom. All fights start with one not willing to yield and be right. There are continued fights if both are unyielding and are not willing to humble themselves. If we are not crucified to ourselves (Galatians 2:20) then we can become our own worst enemies causing ourselves hurt and others around us even in the body of Christ. There is a lost world of billions of souls that do not know the Lord and many believers spend most of their energy fighting with other believers. Whether it is a doctrinal position, opinion on a scripture, belief of a church group being right, we always can find ways to disagree with others.
St. Clement Of Rome in 96 A.D. says, “Why are there quarrels and ill will and dissensions and schism and fighting among you? Do we not have one God and one Christ, and one Spirit of grace poured out upon us? And is there not one calling in Christ? Why do we wrench and tear apart the members of Christ, and revolt against our own body, and reach such folly as to forget that we are members of one another?” Deception can occur to all of us where we end up hurting ourselves and the body of our Lord in the goal and aim of defending our Lord’s truth in some way. Pride, self-importance and always being right are roots that cause quarrels and disunity. If all believers in the Lord would be willing to wash one anthers feet then there would be peace not only in the body of Christ but in the world. If all believer humbled themselves and did not judge others and prayed for them instead, great changes would happen. The Church is to embrace suffering, mis-treatment and hurt and do it willingly with silence, subservient to God’s will. Just like our master who went as a lamb to the shearer, we should at times not open our mouths but accept someone being wrong. We are all sinful in our hearts and all partake of God’s grace, we are no better then anyone else. Lord, teach me to follow you in your ways and allow my inner desires to be crucified so you can shine through me to others. Amen.
