STRIFE

Strife (strīf), n. 1. violent or bitter conflict.  2. a struggle; clash. 
3. competition; rivalry  (Random House Webster’s Concise Dictionary,
Revised Second Edition; copright © 2001 by Random House, Inc.)

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             Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife. ~Proverbs 17:1 (KJV, Bible)

             But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. ~Matthew 9:13 (KJV, Bible)

Striving to work hard to get as much done in the least time possible is not healthy for the soul, the spirit ~ but only increases anxiety, the enemy of peace. 

             He (the Lord Jesus Christ) shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  ~Matthew 12:19 (KJV, Bible)

             In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
             And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6&7 (RV, Bible)

The question is:  Why?  Why are we compelled to work faster and faster, a caged hamster on a wheel ~ arriving in the same place day-after-day ~ an exercise in futility?  Who is our task master? 

             And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ~Luke 12:15 (RV, Bible)

God is not pleased.  We were not created to merely exist but to live.

             The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  ~John 10:10 (KJV, Bible)

             Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. ~Psalm 46:10 (KJV, Bible)

God has called us to peace for He is the God of all peace.  There are a handful of things in life worth striving for:

         2 Timothy 2:15-26

             Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.  ~Luke 13:24 (KJV, Bible)