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 On
those cold, frosty mornings when the fire had burned down to
nothing during the night, it was necessary for Dad to get some
cedar bark and start his fire from “scratch.” After lighting
the fire and adding a generous supply of kindling, he would then
gradually increase the size of the limbs thrown on the
fire until finally he would heave on a “backlog.’ Now. if he
wanted a quick, hot fire, he would use cedar, but he was careful
to move the furniture back from the hearth — cedar pops .
However, if he wanted a fire that would burn slower but last
longer, he would use dried, live oak — one or two good sized.
“back-logs” would last about all day.
Solomon
said, “For lack of wood the fire goeth out, “ (Prov. 26: 20)
but Dad knew that without reading the Bible. I don’ t believe
the wise man was nearly as interested in teaching a truth about
the continuity of’ fire as he was in teaching a parallel
truth. He also said , ‘‘And where there is no whisperer,
content ion ceaseth. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to
fire so is a contentious man to inflame strife,“ (
Prov. 26: 20-21).
The
Lord‘s church has been having problems from the very beginning
and our generation is no exception, but not once has a problem
been solved by a contentious spirit or by whisperings which
gender strife. The solution comes with an honest look at the
problem, an application of God’s word and a lot of patience
without erring brethren. In Acts 15:1-25; 1 Cor. 1-15, and
others, dissension did exist and when Paul wrote the second
Letter to Corinth he said, “For I fear lest by any means, when
I come, I should find you not such as I would,
and
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should myself be found of you such as ye would not lest by
any means then should be strife, jealousy, wraths factions,
backbitings, whisperings swellings, tumults...” (2 Cor. 12:20
Then, as now, men seem fascinated by fire — pyromaniacs, they
be.
Sometimes
so-called “sound” or “conservative” congregations have
begun only because of a prevailing contentions split. Present
“issues’ conveniently offered an occasion for a “split”
and any other issues would have been just as suitable. To the
surprise of no one, a new beginning in these instances, solved
nothing and the lull of peace was only temporary — the fire
was constantly kindled by fresh wood. This has caused some to
equate such with “conservativeness” (the belief that one
must be confined to God’s authority for every practice). Of
course, such at equation would necessitate that none who are
so-called “liberal” be whisperers or contentious which, quit
obviously, is not true.
If
Dad wanted to build a raging fire that would scorch our britches
on the back-side of the room he would use lots of wood. If we
want to cause contention and separate friends, let us “pop-off”
and harbor smoldering embers of contention (Prov. 16:28). Truth
can never be compromised but one should never use “standing
for truth” as a slogan to cover contention. Be forbearing that
fires of contention may go out.
Jim R. Everett
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