Turn to your Bible there in Proverbs 26, it says in verse 20,
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out.
So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
So there are contentious people who start the strife and start the drama.
And then there are talebearers who just fan the flames of the drama.
There are people who thrive on drama.
When nothing's going on, they're bored, they're unhappy.
And they just love it when the latest, you know, the latest news flash of the drama and the scandal,
and did you hear what so-and-so said to so-and-so?
Okay, now there are two kinds of people that the scripture is talking about in Proverbs 26 here, in 20 and 21.
There's the talebearer, and then there's the contentious man.
And of course this could be contentious man or contentious woman, just as the talebearer could be man or woman.
And so what it's saying is, first of all, there are contentious people.
These are people who go around starting stuff with people.
These are people who wear their feelings on their sleeve, and are ready to be offended by every little thing that everyone says.
And you know what the Bible says?
Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.
The Bible talks about passing over a transgression and not worrying about it.
But there are people who are just contentious people, and they're always at strife with other people,
because of the fact that they are just feelings on their sleeve.
Everything you say to them, it's like, what's that supposed to mean?
What's that supposed to mean?
You know, you can even say something nice to them, and they'll interpret it wrongly.
Like, you look wonderful today.
So what are you saying I usually look like?
What do you mean I look wonderful today?
You know, they just interpret everything.
Or just, wow, I was, man, I was, I tasted your chili at the chili cookout.
I was just blown away. I was shocked by how good it was.
I mean, it was amazing.
Why would it surprise you that I know how to cook good food?
What do you think I cook, garbage, and then you're surprised when it tastes right?
I'm just saying there are people out there who are just contentious people who are just looking to be offended.
They're just looking for somebody.
And then, oh, it doesn't stop with what's actually said, but just the way that she looked at me.
She gave me a dirty look.
Or even a step further, and this is the worst, people.
When you're getting mad about not what someone did, but what they didn't do.
You're actually getting mad at people for what they did not do.
Like, for example, you know, the pastor did not shake my hand.
He did not smile at me. He did not greet me.
She came to church and greeted a bunch of other people that were in the same part of the building as me, didn't greet me.
Invited everybody to so-and-so, didn't invite me.
You know, basically what you did, or, you know, I put up this post on Facebook,
and I saw that they were on Facebook liking other stuff.
And in fact, they liked something that someone just before me posted.
And then they liked something after, which proved that they were online when I was posting.
And they just, or just, you know, I know so-and-so just has this thing where they'll just never like anything I do on Facebook.
I don't care what I put up on Facebook.
About three weeks ago, they just quit liking my posts and never clicked like for the last three weeks.
What is her problem? What is his problem? You know, why?
And clicking like on everybody's comment except mine.
Look, you know, it's getting kind of close to home now.
And then, look, that is a contentious person.
You know, that is an unforgiving, grudging, envious person.
Because here's the thing, a healthy person who, you know, is humble and serving the Lord,
isn't so worried about what everybody else is doing all the time.
They're worried about their own personal walk with God.
And they're worried about making sure that they're doing what's right.
They're not worried about making sure, being the police, that everybody in the church is doing everything right.
No, they're just worried about, hey, am I acting right?
I'll go to church and say, I wonder if anybody was rude to me.
Who cares? You know what they should be thinking is, I wonder if I was rude to anyone when I went to church.
That's all that should matter.
Is that when we go to church, we make sure that we're nice to people.
And that we love people. And that we're kind to people.
And that we're not rude to people.
And that our kids are not terrorizing the place.
And that our kids are not treating other people bad.
And that we, and that our wives are not treating other people badly.
And that we are under control instead of just always being out to find the fault in everybody else.