Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.-II Timothy 2:23, 24
The question has been posed that if I was arrested on charges of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me? Would there not only be evidence in my house, but evidence in my life? Would witnesses come forward and testify against me that I have indeed been living the Christian life? Or would prosecutors have to drop the charges for lack of evidence? The goal of the Christian life is to have overwhelming evidence in our lives that we are absolutely committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible instructs us to avoid, have nothing to do with, foolish arguments and controversies. Oh that more people would take this to heart. I have found that many couples have their worst conflicts over disagreements that in the broad scheme of things don’t amount to much. Believers sometimes face the same situations. The body of Christ has suffered great harm over foolish arguments that in the broad scheme of things really do not amount to anything. Some situations we have to take a stand upon. If something clearly goes against scripture we have to reject it. But if it’s one of those non-essentials we should look hard at it before we allow ourselves to become divided over it. A relative of mine told me about how that she served once as team mom on a youth sports league. Part of her responsibilities involved taking a turn in the concession stand. While trying to help out she found herself embroiled in a conflict between some of the moms. The conflict centered around the kind of hot-dogs they would use. And apparently the situation become heated and downright ugly. If we aren’t careful the same thing can happen within the body of Christ.
The Word tells us not to quarrel, but rather to be kind to everyone. If someone comes against us and is unkind toward us, then seek an opportunity to instruct that person on how to grow in the faith. And do so gently, the Bible teaches that meekness and humility are attributes to be desired by the believer. Humility is not a sign of weakness, but rather spiritual strength. When we become arrogant and proud we open ourselves up to the snares of the devil. Humility keeps us in check; we become aware of the temptationa that are around us, and we realize that we had better keep our wits about us and be self-controlled and alert. Pride and arrogance takes the attitude that such a thing would never happen to me, and we then make ourselves a target for the devil.
We can easily think back to those who have been brought down by the problem of pride and arrogance. They believed themselves invincible to the attacks of the evil one, and as a result they became targets.
The Bible calls us to stand firmly against the ways of the world and the wiles of Satan. We grow stronger one day at a time and one step at a time, knowing that the Lord blesses a humble heart and spirit.
The Lord is faithful and He will never let us down.
