Draw Down

Nº 169 weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - October 26, 2021

Blessed are the peacemakers, and one sure way of peacemaking is to let the fire of contention alone. Neither fan it, nor stir it, nor add fuel to it, but let it go out by itself. -Charles Spurgeon

On October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona, Virgil Earp, his brothers Morgan and Wyatt, and Doc Holliday confronted six members of the Clanton Gang at the OK Corral. The 30 seconds that followed marked the most well-known of many violent moments in America’s wild, wild West. In the end, three outlaws - Billy Clanton and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury - were dead. Their companions - Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborne, and Wes Fuller - fled the scene. Virgil and Morgan Earp along with Doc Holiday were wounded. Only legendary lawman Wyatt Earp survived unscathed. Eyewitnesses and historians disagree over who fired the first shot, but certainly someone did. Whether it was anger, fear, or lack of self-control, someone’s action ignited the bloodbath. The writer of Proverbs reminds us, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” (Proverbs 29:11) We may never find ourselves in a violent confrontation; however, we all encounter little “OK Corrals” every day. Do we escalate the conflict and increase the tension? Or do we mitigate the problem and extend grace as best we can? In a world of social media “gunfights” and political brawls remember, as Christians, we serve the Prince of Peace.

Dan Bolin President Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc