https://odb.org/2026/01/07/the-bone-wars
Philippians 4:1–3 (NIV): 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
In the American West in the late 1800s, the search for dinosaur bones created the Bone Wars, in which two paleontologists battled one another in their pursuit of making the most historic find. One writer noted how the two “used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones.” He noted how, in trying to ruin each other’s work, both destroyed their own reputations as well.
Conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world. How we choose to engage those conflicts reveals what’s in our hearts. Paul learned of conflict between two women in the church at Philippi and wrote, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” He asked a fellow believer to “help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:2-3). (Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread 7th January 2026)
It is indeed true that conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world, unfortunately, even among redeemed believers of Christ. Despite having been saved by the blood of Jesus, we are still dwelling in our earthly bodies. We suffer diseases and illnesses like everyone else. We go through emotional moments like the person next door. We face stress and are not exempt from the rigours of life. Yet there is an expectation and rightly so for us to behave and react differently when confronted with conflict and competition, particularly in relation to fellow believers. Rightly so because the Holy Spirit in us compels us to reflect Christ to people we meet and interact with. These issues are not new as they were faced by the community of believers even during Paul’s time when our Christian faith was still at its nascent.
All I can say this morning is that we should act and react as the Holy Spirit prompts. We pray in our heart on what we should do. Sometimes it is appropriate to make a stand but sometimes it is better to stand down. We can likewise demand the same from the fellow believer. Yet the Lord is more interested and concerned with our own action and reaction. How he or she should act and react is one thing but what’s more important is how should we act and react? I just pray that as we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit, not that He would guide us but that we would obey as He leads. Will we choose the path that leads to spiritual maturity? Just remember that unless we are already 100 years old, we have a long way more to go in our spiritual journey. Do we seriously want to let a minor issue bog us down?
Ronnie's Thoughts 