Quit Quarreling!
By Susan Klein
“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.”
2 Timothy 2:23-24
By Susan Klein
“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.”
2 Timothy 2:23-24
Like most recent new believers, when I personally received Christ’s gift of salvation, I couldn’t wait to talk about my faith with others! I loved learning from those who were more mature in their Christian walk, and I was also passionate about sharing what I believed with those who didn’t know Jesus.
In those earlier years, I worked third shift as a nurse. Whenever we had a lull or a down-time, I would go to the break room with a co-worker/friend of mine and we’d talk about the new things God was showing each of us. Every night, I was filled with anticipation over where our conversations would take us next!
Then, one night, the unthinkable happened! My co-worker shared something she had learned that I had never heard of before. In fact, I wasn’t too sure I agreed with this teaching and felt compelled to voice my opposition. We amiably agreed to do some further study on our own and come back later to share what we discovered. The next night we resumed our conversation, both armed with Scripture to back our opinions. This time, it didn’t end quite as amiably. Each of us felt we were in the right and had to defend our position on the matter. Day after day, we’d each go home to try to find more verses (ammunition) to try and prove the other wrong! Soon, I no longer looked forward to our breaks together because our “sharing” time had become “quarreling” time, and all in the name of Scripture!
I quickly found myself dreading going to work, and even avoided my co-worker once there, just to escape the ensuing quarrel that would eventually rear its ugly head. Our sorry behavior was not setting a very good example for those around us. During my digging one evening before work, God took me to the above verse. He showed me, ever-so-clearly, that His Word was not meant to be a divisive sword among believers, and that His servants must not engage in quarreling. We must learn to lovingly disagree with each other so the evil one cannot gain a foothold in our lives, and so that we might be a light to those who are watching.
I apologized to my co-worker, sharing with her what God had revealed to me. We made a pact to never quarrel over our differences again, but to show love and respect to each other even when we disagreed.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What do you do when you find yourself disagreeing with someone over God’s Word?
FURTHER READING:
Titus 3:9
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of its teachers.
