Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Who Is the Strongest?
The history of the world is full of dictators, despots, and strong men who got their way by wielding their power. Perhaps because of this, we have grown up thinking that the way to have power is to have power over people, that the more we can control other people, the more power we demonstrate. Yet this is not necessarily true. In fact, a man who cannot even control himself certainly has no business trying to call the shots for other people.
Proverbs 16:32 says, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” When you think about those who have conquered cities and civilizations, you think about people who have dominant personalities, but some of those people could not even control themselves. The strongest man in the room is the one who can control himself; it isn’t the person who can finesse, manipulate, deceive, or strong arm other people into seeing things his own way. The strongest person in the room is the person who has self-control.
If I want to influence other people I ought to discipline myself. If I want to make a helpful, positive difference in the world, I need to begin by taking heed to my own personal integrity. It is better to rule your own attitude than it is to conquer a city.