Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Conflict”
Our Bible verse for today: “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.” Proverbs 20:3 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Pick your battles carefully”
The conflict lasted for almost two decades and as a result the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was in crisis. Beginning in the late 1970’s a theologically liberal group of SBC pastors and seminary professors began leading the denomination to question, and even to modify, some of the most important foundational beliefs of the Baptist Faith and Message.
Conservatives within the denomination responded by resisting the changes, and for almost two decades there was heated battle within the SBC. Finally, in the mid 1990’s, conservatives won the fight. The liberal elements left the SBC and formed a new denomination. One of the leaders of the conservative forces at that time was a man named Judge Paul Pressler. In 1999 Judge Pressler wrote a book entitled “A Hill on Which to Die”. In it he explained that the issues at stake were so serious that they could not be overlooked. The Biblical compromises being advocated by the liberal element were so at odds with sound Christian doctrine that they had to be opposed. For our denomination it was “A Hill on Which to Die”. The battle had to be fought and somehow it had to be won.
Some conflicts are like that. The issues are just too important to ignore and so the battle has to be fought. But most issues do not fall into that category. Most things people fight about are actually much less serious and in the end, the outcome one way or another actually matters very little. In those cases it is not a hill on which to die and therefore the battle should not be fought, the conflict not engaged in.
This is where wisdom is needed. We have to be able to discern those issues that truly must be fought for, and those which really are not worth it. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 20:3. In many cases a conflict can be avoided, and so a wise and honorable person will find ways to resolve a potential dispute without it developing into a full fledged battle, but any old fool can get himself into a quarrel.
I want to encourage all of us to be smart about potential conflicts. Pick your battles carefully. Make sure it is an issue that really does need to be fought for. Most of the things we fight and argue over really are small and sometimes even silly, and in grand scheme of things matter very little.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 