Today’s Thoughts – 17 January 2021
By T. S. Candee on January 17, 2021 in Second Timothy Thoughts
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; 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
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ
As we live our Christian lives, let us remember that we don’t have to die on every hill presented to us. What that means is that not every opinion is worth our time and effort to debate, argue, or convince. Many times, we can avoid quarrels with false teachers or those who misunderstand the Word of God by simply not engaging with them.
If we have a preaching or teaching office, we also have the opportunity to influence those people through our preaching or teaching. But the goal here is to “speak the truth in love.” We aren’t to be aggressive about it or looking for a fight. We should be calm and gentle instead.
It may be that we must also be patient. It could take a while for this person to come around to the truth and understand the Bible better. We must understand that it is a spiritual struggle since the devil is trying to confuse people into not knowing what is true.
We must stand and preach or teach the Word clearly, gently, and patiently so others may “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Only then will they come back to God and the truth of the Bible.
