Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.” Proverbs 17:1 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “What price will you pay for peace?”
I was once involved in a work situation that was very much a love-hate relationship for me. On the one hand, there were aspects of the work that I enjoyed. But on the other hand, it was a work environment that involved what seemed like an endless stream of drama, complaining, bickering, backbiting, gossip, and behind the scenes maneuvering driven by self-interests. And it never seemed to stop.
Because there were aspects of the work that I liked, I was reluctant to leave it. But because of all the behind-the-scenes nonsense, it was a toxic environment that brought out the worst in me. I knew I needed to remove myself from it for my own good. It was the price I needed to be willing to pay for my own peace of mind.
That same scenario plays out every day in life in thousands of different ways. There are plenty of people who, like in my own example, are in a toxic work environment but they stay for the money, or the prestige, or for some other reason, but they would be better off if they left. There are families with large incomes, living in expensive homes, and enjoying the best of every creature comfort, but they are constantly fighting, and arguing, and hurting each other. Their house is fabulous but their home is a war zone.
This is what Solomon was writing about in Proverbs 17:1. Peace is better than prosperity. You will be happier in a small home with limited resources but with peace, than you will be in a large home with lots of creature comforts but constant fighting.
There’s an old saying that goes, “Less is more.” What that means is that sometimes having less is better than having more. Sometimes giving something-up results in gaining something better. Giving up that high paying but high pressure job may result in you earning less money, but it could also result in a better quality of life that is more peaceful and therefore more satisfying. Likewise, getting away from people who are creating a toxic situation in your life may involve you having to make big changes, but it could result in much more peace of mind for you.
So what price are you willing to pay for peace? It really is true that peace is better than prosperity, less is often better than more, and giving something up can result in gaining something better.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 