“Go not fourth hastily to strive last thou no not what to do in the end thereoff when thy neighbor has put thee to shame.” (Prov 25:8)
Here is an example of where it is not good to strive, at least not without giving some thought before you do it. This must apply also to not letting the imagination rehearse angry confrontations that have not happened (such as a fist fight with the person driving the car in front of you, or imagining being sued in court for being wrongly jailed, or any other thing that is not likely to happen).
If you are fuming about something there is strife in your mind. It’s real strife and it’s really in your mind, raising your blood pressure and wasting your time. Is the object of this strife really worth the ill feelings? Is this a real battle to be fought? Is this a real war to die in? Are you being brave and noble?
I do this way too much. I wonder how much is a habit, or how much is suggestion and attack from the enemy. “Take away dross from the silver . . .” (Prov 25:4) Surely such thinking is dross in your mind. Best to keep the silver and toss the dross.
