What makes you angry today? Is it just me, or are we more likely to argue these days? Perhaps it is the spirit of the times, but people seem to me to be on edge. We will quarrel at the drop of a hat. I once heard of a church which fought over the important issues of whether to play dominoes in the fellowship hall.
Just so in the first century church people argued over what they were allowed to eat and what they were allowed to drink. Paul believed that Christians should avoid quarrels. The Lord’s servants should not practice pugilism. But what if others are just wrong? Isn’t it our responsibility to straighten them out on important matters? Perhaps. But what is really important?
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let us work hard to make peace in our relationships with others today, so that we may experience the blessing Jesus offered to the peacemakers: we will be called the sons and daughters of God.
