Living in peace

Proverbs 1:17 (NLT)

1 A dry piece of food with peace and quiet is better than a house full of food with fighting.

These words recommend family-love and peace, as conducing very much to the comfort of human life. Though there only be dry morsels with which to feed they find their comfort in each other and in the peace of God. Better to live this way that to have a house full of food where families live in contention, strife and embitterment.

 

Martin Luther (1483-1546) said If we are correct and right in our Christian life at every point, but refuse to stand for the truth at a particular point where the battle rages-then we are traitors to Christ.

The movie Nuremberg, based on the book Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial, by Joseph Persico, is about a series of trials held in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945-46, in which former Nazi leaders were tried as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal. In this scene, Nazi defendant Hans Frank (played by Frank Moore) is attempting to explain his actions to Army psychologist Gustav Gilbert (played by Matt Craven). Frank explains, "I turned my diaries over to the Americans voluntarily. You see, they prove that I tried to resign as Governor General of Poland. I did not approve of the persecution of the Jews. Anyone reading my diaries, they will know what was in my heart. They will understand that such things I wrote about Jews, the orders I signed, they were not sincere." "I believe you, Frank," says Gilbert. "And yet, you did do those things. How do you explain it? I don't mean legally; I'm not a lawyer or a judge. I mean how do you explain it to yourself?" "I don't know," replies Frank. "It's as though I am two people: the Hans Frank you see here, and Hans Frank the Nazi leader. I wonder how the other Frank could do such things. This Frank looks at that Frank and says, 'You're a terrible man.'" "And what does that Frank say back?" asks Gilbert. Frank, appearing to plead for understanding, replies, "He says, 'I just wanted to keep my job.'"

We can often think our lives are correct, but we can still be living in chaos. We might think we are enjoying a wonderful meal, but the whole meal is nothing but a battle of words. Make sure we are finding the comfort in God even if it means we are doing without in order to find the peace God would bestow upon us. It is better to have a quiet moment with a dry piece of food that living a life of contention.