We are all familiar with the claim of II Timothy 3:16 that Scripture is profitable for instruction and correction for any and all issues of life. Have you ever wondered why Scripture is so perfectly equipped, why it is always right and always helpful? Well, first, because Scripture comes from God. But more to the point, it is because Scripture penetrates past the surface and exposes and addresses the source of life issues. For example, take strife. If asked, why is there so much strife in your life, the most common answers would be along these lines: “Because I’m grumpy when tired,” or “my children are brats,” or “my husband is not thoughtful,” or “I had to wait three hours at the doctor’s office,” or “my friends didn’t remember my birthday.” In other words, we tend to think that a state of strife and contention is hopeless with no end in sight because strife and contention come from varied and unpredictable circumstances. But in this passage, Scripture rushes right past the surface diagnosis. Notice that both individuals encounter similar circumstances, but only one circumstance leads to strife. The difference is in the heart of each individual. One is a wrathful person, while the other is slow to anger. These are not descriptions of personality characteristics like extrovert or introvert. Instead, these are descriptions of soul health. The wrathful person has a problem in his soul. He has not fed His mind with the truths of God’s sovereignty, mercy, forbearance, and love. He has not armed himself early in the morning with gratitude for life and salvation. He has not meditated on God’s promises to use all things for His sanctification. He has forgotten that in mercy, God has not created life to revolve around our selfish aims, but instead uses frustrating and inconvenient circumstances to produce patience and maturity. Today, you will encounter many varied situations. Some of these will be frustrating. What is in your soul will determine whether strife or peace result.