Contend with Man

Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm. Proverbs 3:30 NKJV

Dictionary.com defines “strive” in the verb tense this way:

1.	to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: He strove to make himself understood.

2.	to make strenuous efforts toward any goal: to strive for success.

3.	to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.

4.	to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance: to strive against fate.

5.	to rival; vie.

Based on the context of Proverbs 3, we’ve been talking about how to become a good neighbor. Therefore, any of the last three definitions from above might apply to today’s verse.

We are not to contend in conflict with someone without cause. Meaning we should not be the one creating the conflict. We are not to struggle vigorously in opposition with our neighbor without cause when no harm or foul has occurred. Don’t be opposed to someone when they’ve never done anything wrong to you. We are not to rival with someone. We are not in competition with anyone.

These are really good points. How often do we fail at them? Do we hold grudges against someone because we heard some unflattering thing about them? Do we compete against other trying to get the best jobs? Do we measure our success based on how we compare to the Jones down the street? Do we secretly harbor hate in our hearts for someone, all the while pretending we love people? First John 2:11 NKJV says “But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” First John 3:15 NKJV continues saying “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

If there’s no harm done to you, we are to drop the striving. Get rid of any thoughts that would lead us down the path of destruction. Switch gears and think of the good things about the person instead. Be thankful for the person. Even if we can’t name one thing to be thankful for, we most certainly can be thankful God used this person to get us to contemplate God’s ways and evaluate how well we are abiding them.

Lord, thank you for your word. Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Enable us to put away all bitterness that leads to death. Teach us not to contend with man. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Source http://thinkonitdevotions.wordpress.com