Proverbs 3:30,  Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

This does not simply say, strive not!

There is nothing in the Bible that prohibits all striving for there is good striving and there is wicked striving.

To strive is similar to drive.

It is to make efforts, it is to exert, to endeavor with earnestness, to labor hard, to contend, to contest, to struggle in opposition to another.

You can strive against and you can strive for.

You may strive against temptation, or you may strive for the truth.

Luke tells us to strive to enter in at the strait gate.

The Lord in Genesis 6:3, said that,  My spirit shall not always strive with man.

So the Holy Spirit make efforts, he exerts, he labors hard, he contends, he struggles in opposition.

The herdsmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

David prayed and asked the Lord to plead my cause, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

We are told in Proverbs 25:8,  to not go forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

This kind of striving may get you in trouble because this kind of striving is not well thought out kind of striving.

Paul in Rom 15:30 beseeches the brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, to strive together with him in their prayers to God for Paul;

For fervent prayer is striving prayer.

It is prayer that makes efforts,

it is prayer that exerts,

it is a praying endeavor with earnestness,

it is prayer by hard labor,

it is contending prayer,

it is contesting prayer,

it is prayer that struggles in opposition to the flesh.

For those who would prevail in prayer, must strive in prayer.

Paul in 2 Tim 2:5, cautions those who strive for masteries, to strive lawfully.

And he also warns that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

For those inclined to strive, commonly strive about matters of small importance.

Paul warns in 2 Timothy,  But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive (to quarrel); but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

So striving can be a good thing or a bad thing.

There is a lawful kind of striving and there is an unlawful kind of striving.

If we are to strive we must be a Biblical striver.

As we drive by rules so we must strive by the rules.

As we are to be a safe driver we also ought to be a safe striver.

Perhaps we ought to even have a striver's license!

We may strive for the mastery, we may strive to enter in at the straight gate, we may strive in prayer but we are to:

We are enjoined from embroiling ourselves in causeless strife.

Son, I am not rearing you to be a kindler of quarrels.

Paul in Romans 12:18 said it this way,  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Sometimes it is possible, sometimes it is not possible.

Sometimes the cause demands there to be strife,

But you are not to be a starter of strife without a good cause for the strife.

You are not to be a trouble maker.

You are not to look for trouble.

And even in matters of strife you are to do everything decently and in order.

Paul instructed the Ephesians in chapter 4 verse 26,  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Even anger is to be controlled.

Even anger is to be measured.

Biblical anger is not sinful anger for it is expressed in righteousness.

There is to be a righteous cause for anger to be expressed.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:22,  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, (rhak-ah, O empty one, i.e. thou worthless (as a term of utter vilification) shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Our proverb tells us to: Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

Eliab, David's eldest brother was angry at David, when David spoke for the Lord against the Philistines just before David killed Goliath.

Eliab was angry at David without a cause but David was angry at the Philistines because of a cause.

And that cause was the Lord's cause.

Eliab said in 1 Samuel 17:28,......Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

Eliab was the eldest and he thought he knew David's heart.

But Eliab knew nothing of David's heart for scripture tells us that David was a man after God's own heart.

What better example of this is recorded?

David was sincere when he replied to Eliab in:

1 Samuel 17:29 .... What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

Yes, there was a cause.

Here was Goliath representing the Philistines defying the armies of the living God.

This was a reproach to Israel, God's chosen people.

Yes, there was a cause and David rightly engaged in strife.

David rightly faced the one bringing harm to the name of God.

What better cause in which to engage in strife?

That is the cause upon which the "Projector" is dedicated, the cause of God, the cause of Christ.

Under the logo of the Projector is the statement, "Projecting the Light of the Word of God on the Issues of the Day".

If that is done faithfully the result is going to be strife:

for strife is to make efforts,

it is to exert,

it is to endeavor with earnestness,

it is to labor hard,

it is to contend,

it is to contest,

it is to struggle in opposition to another.

And there is plenty of opposition to the cause of Christ.

There are plenty of issues worth defending.

The cause of Christ is a cause in which a life spent in strife, a life spend in battle, a life spent defending the word of God is a worthy life and a life blessed by God.

But if the cause justifies the strife you are to conduct yourself as a child of God, humble, long suffering, gentle but not spineless and weak.

You are to defend justice and right.

Son, you are to stand up for truth and if strife is called for, then be not afraid to call upon the grace of God to conduct yourself in accordance with the principles of the word of God.

But  Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.