Proverbs 29:9 Till we're blue in the face

If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

Once again, I'd like to add the King James version to the mix here, for I think the last part of the verse is important:

If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

Is there any good that can be accomplished by arguing with a foolish person? They are so convinced that their way is the right way . . . is there anything that you can do or say that will change their mind? Is it worthwhile to even try? 

Well, Solomon is telling us here, the answer is "no."

There are certain core beliefs that form the foundation of our faith in God the Father, and in the saving work of Jesus Christ, His son.  These are things that there can be no doubt about. Some people recite the Apostle's Creed, others have similar things that they use to remember the important tenets of our faith.

At the same time, there are some things that are not so vital, and that many people disagree on. Ever heard someone arguing about theistic evolution? Personally, I don't agree with them, but they think that God could have used evolutionary processes to create the world, and they will argue until they are blue in the face that it's so. I think there's less than a snowball's chance of lasting a minute in Satan's neighborhood, that some proteins got together in a puddle and a flash of lightning sparked them into the first life form, etc etc.  But some people think that the theory called evolution has real merit.

How about the way some people jump up and down and shout about which version of the Bible they want us to use? You can argue long and convincingly and point out Scriptures that support your position, but they won't yield. There is no rest for you there. 
Others have pet arguments like whether hell and the lake of fire are the same thing, or whether vegetarianism is something the Bible encourages, or some other idea that is not. all. that. important.

These people are so caught up in their arguments that they have forgotten that we agree on the "big" things. That on the important things of our faith, we are one; we are together.
Whether they mock and laugh at us, or whether they get angry and call us fools, we will get no rest. We must give it up. 
We must simply do what we know to be right --- search the Bible, and do our own research. If we follow God in faith, and are hungry to see what He will do next, we will be able to kindly (and without wrath) give them a reasonable defense of our position -- and then get some rest.

We need to remember that no one has ever come to Christ by the merits of a human argument alone . . there must be a work of the Holy Spirit in opening their heart and mind to the Gospel. We aren't the Holy Spirit! We are simply messengers, and we are bringing them something that they need to hear. Pray for them.
God will do the rest!

Proverbs 14:30

A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones.

A tranquil heart.

Doesn't that sound nice?

When you hear "Peaceful", "Tranquil", what are some things that come to mind?

Perhaps a quiet lake?

Or a dove?

Or softly falling snow at midnight?

Women are worry warts by nature. We like to worry about everything under the sun.

We also like to get in everyone's business and control everyone and everything around us.

And....you fill in the blank.

We've talked about being contagious in our walk with Christ;

I think being a peaceful person is an excellent way  to do this. 

Everyone wants to find peace.

Today in your journal, make a list of things in your life that cause you not to have a tranquil heart, then you can pray about them and work to change them.