You're a selfish pig!

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1).

Usually, we think the other person starts an argument.

He did something.

She said something.

If she weren't so...

If he hadn't been so...

But James wrote that the cause for fights is not the other person. It's you. You're the one to blame.

"Your passions are at war within you."

Your desires are driving you. They are controlling your thoughts, words and actions.

What you want to satisfy your desires is greater than what you know is the right thing to do.

In other words, the arguments that you get into are because you are being selfish.

You're a selfish pig!

And that's an important lesson to remember.

When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stop fighting for your rights and desires.

When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stand up for the truth and not your wishes and dreams.

It's not a matter of becoming a door mat. It's not even a matter of just sitting back and letting the other person have whatever they want.

It's a matter of standing up for what God says is the right thing to do, to say and to be.

God's goal for you is to become like Christ. God's goal for the other person in your argument is to become like Christ.

So rather than wasting your energy to make the other person to be like you, (i.e. do what you want to do because you want to do it!), use that energy to help them to become like Christ.

Change your passion to becoming like Christ and let that passion drive you.

Those opportunities for argument will become opportunities for you to become like Christ.

Peace Protests

Doesn't that seem like an oxymoron?

Combining "peace" and "protest" just doesn't seem to fit together.

When we protest, we are after something that we want. We are concerned with our goals and ambitions. But does that generally lead to peace?

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1)

When I let my passions take control, when I let them win the battle, then I'm on the way to a quarrel with someone else.

People are always getting in my way. I want to take the day off, but the boss won't pay me if I don't come in to work. I want the temperature at church to be set to my body, but there are 250 other people there. I want to ... but...

Every time there is a quarrel, it's because I want something that I'm not getting.

Look at the verse before James 4:1:

"And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:18).

Don't we all want a harvest of righteousness sown in peace?

The solution is to be a peacemaker.

Identify the problem and attack it, not the other person.

Identify the problem and solve it; don't ignore it.

Come to the best possible biblical solution to the problem

Then you'll be a peacemaker. You won't always get what you want, if you're following your selfish passions.

But if what you want is a harvest of righteousness sown in peace, you'll get it.