2 Timothy 2:23-26 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
The world of social media produces a constant flow of profound debates. For example, last night a decorated journalist on Twitter offered a joy-rave that finally, dogs live in the White House again. Earlier rants about ice cream or the color scheme of Air Force One have now yielded to the political significance of pet dogs!
This produced in me a strong temptation to publish a rant about the pathetic nature of journalism today... but right before I hit "enter" the Lord gently whispered, "Avoid foolish and ignorant controversies..."
Thoughtless, yet heated words on social media and elsewhere (including far too many church meetings) stir the flesh and produce useless arguments, cynical rants, hurt feelings, wasted time and energy, and worst of all a lost opportunity for real, edifying communication.
When Paul penned this advice to Timothy it was written from a Roman prison to mentor the young pastor concerning foolish, ignorant controversies. Critical doctrine aside, Paul’s instruction warned Timothy and all serious believers to recognize superficial conversations that pretend to be significant but serve to generate quarrels. Wise people will stay out of such conversations. Nevertheless, they will also learn to recognize when a controversy contains important spiritual issues, and when it does, they will carefully and patiently express the truth without quarreling, fully confident that God's Holy Spirit alone is able to effectively persuade those in error. Love and gentleness have a way of expressing truth powerfully, and kindness may endear even nasty political enemies.
So, stay out of foolish and stupid controversies — because they will generate quarrels. Learn when a real opportunity to express truth appears, and then, just speak the truth in love.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]On Monday, we talked about “tashlich” — the traditional Jewish ceremony occurring between Rosh ha Shana and Yom Kippur, which involves casting bread crumbs into a river while confessing our sins and watching them be swept downstream. In this passage, however, we read about the importance of casting our crowns. These elders fell down before the Lord, casted their golden crowns and gave God the glory and honor He deserves. How much more should we do the same today?
When my family and I were re-deployed to the United States during the Covid outbreak, all my plans were wrecked. I had planned becoming a licensed tour guide in Israel, allowing the ministry to continue while my kids would serve in the Israeli army for three years. Instead, I’m looking back at 150,000 miles of cross country driving throughout the US, and 350 speaking/ministry engagements. “…Man plans his way…” but, stuff happens, and sometimes we simply need to adjust. So, the adventure continues…
The Bible seems virtually redundant on the theme of courage. More than 125 exhortations for God’s people facing overwhelming trials and dilemmas, resound against fear, notwithstanding how natural that response may seem. Courage based on faith is the universal attitude for saints in all situations. Our omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere) Father says, and repeats, “Fear not! Be of good courage! Be strong and courageous!”
As my wife and I have been redeployed to the United States for a season we’ve traveled over 150,000 miles since 2020. Vehicles which deliver the kind of distances we travel need regular oil changes to stay reliable. So, our vehicles have enjoyed innumerable pit stops.
As we continue to inspect our hearts and take spiritual inventory of our lives during this month of Elul in preparation for the fall feasts, we should stay particularly aware of Yeshua’s prediction in Matthew 24:12, “The love of many will grow cold.” He warned that a sign of the last days would be abounding lawlessness and that callousness and hardness of heart would characterize the end times. The evidence of this is everywhere.
Traditionally in Jewish spirituality, these 40 days of prayer and repentance beginning the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur parallel the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain [Exodus 34:28] pleading God’s forgiveness for Israel’s sin of creating and worshiping the golden calf. Interestingly, Psalm 27 is read each day of the month of Elul, along with the shofar blast in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
As we continue our study for Elul, a month set apart for repentance in preparation for the fall feasts, we find a message hidden in the four Hebrew letters spelling the name of this special month. Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed form an “acronym” for a well-known passage in the Song of Solomon: Ani l-dodi v-dodi li or in English, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”