"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." Proverbs 13:10

Here, in Proverbs 13:10, we have a small jewel made up of 12 simple words that we ought to visit often. If you ever wondered why there were so many arguments and disputes in the world, this answers your question. Whether we are talking about two nations at war, a sour business deal, or the state of the relationships in your home; pride is the root of contention. What do we mean when we say pride? Pride is that exaggerated view of how important we think we are. Pride says:” You can’t talk to me that way”, “You can’t treat me that way”, “After all I’ve done, I deserve better than this”. We could reduce it all down to “I want my way, and I want it NOW”. Is there any wonder that contention is bred through pride?

It is important to note that the verse doesn’t say “Only by pride cometh disagreement”. There are times in life where we will have some legitimate disagreements with others. Many of us have different preferences in the way we would like to see things done, and that’s ok. The Bible does not condemn disagreements, it condemns the way we are prone to handle disagreements. The root word for contention is a word that means to boil. In this context, the imagery is applied to a human personality. Pride is the source of boiling hot anger. To be more specific, your pride causes you to boil, not the other person’s pride.

What is the flip side of the coin? Those who choose to respond under the influenced of pride (their own self-centered thoughts) will produce contention. However, those who in wisdom are well advised will avoid a contentious spirit. The idea that lies behind being well advised is that an individual has received counsel or advice outside of himself. This happens through our interactions with other mature Christians, and through our interaction with the Word of God. How does wisdom apply here?