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Scripture Reading : Galatians 5:15

But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Sometimes, instead of being Christ-like, Christians act like a pack of wolves, tearing and rending one another. Many a work for God has been completely ruined by internal strife. The work of spreading the Gospel of Christ is harmed greatly by the bossy, fault-finding attitude of some Christians. In fact, congregations have split because of excessive quarreling with or criticizing one another. Cannibals are called man-eaters because they kill and devour other humans. Some Christians bite and devour one another with the tongue instead of the teeth. In effect, they are spiritual cannibals who with this wicked little member destroy individual Christians and sometimes whole congregations of the body of Christ. Mutual anger and mutual hate will surely end in mutual destruction.

Out there is the foe

The story is told of Admiral Lord Nelson of the British Navy. He caught two of his sailors in fierce combat. He stepped in between them and pointed over the horizon where ships of the enemy sailed and said, "Out there is your foe." Brawls and fighting will certainly hinder one in his work and service for Christ. We have great enemies in Satan, sin, and the world, and we should not dissipate our strength in fighting one another.

Consumed by one another

Often skeletons of two deer or moose, with their antlers hopelessly entangled, have been found. While fighting, their horns were caught and both perished from starvation. Christians who are constantly brawling do not enjoy the Lord nor His Word, and consequently starve to death spiritually. Strength of soul, pureness of character, and even health of body, are destroyed by this awful brawling.

He shot his own horse

Christians should be a help and a joy to one another instead of constantly quarreling. If the spirit of love departs from a group of Christians, the Spirit of God will also withdraw, and the work will never prosper. Deer are entranced by a moving light and sometimes hunters illegally hunt them with head lights. One farmer was hunting deer in this illegal way. He caught the gleam of two shining eyes in the distance. He aimed his rifle between the two lights and let go. The eyes dropped and he ran forward to get his deer. To his consternation he found he had shot his own horse between the eyes. The horse was peering at the light through an opening in the barn wall. Many a man has shot and ruined his own work for God, not with rifle bullets, but with hot and insulting words.