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.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]It was a bright Sunday morning in 18th century London, but Robert Robinson’s mood was anything but sunny. All along the street there were people hurrying to church, but in the midst of the crowd Robinson was a lonely man. The sound of church bells reminded him of years past when his faith in God was strong and the church was an integral part of his life...
As Scotland was declaring its independence from England in the 1300's, the English were hunting for Robert Bruce of Scotland in an attempt to prevent his accession to the Scottish throne. In the search, the English put Bruce's own bloodhounds on his trail. As they grew closer to apprehending him, Robert the Bruce found a small river, and he said to his foster-brother who was with him, "Let us wade down this stream for a great way, instead of going straight across, and so these unhappy hounds will lose the scent; for if we were once clear of them, I should not be afraid of getting away from the pursuers."
In one sermon, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, took out a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed."
In the Tenach (Old Testament), the Lord commanded Israel to count the Omer (the Barley Harvest) beginning the day after the sabbath during Passover, 50 days to the Biblical Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost). Today is the 4th day of the Omer and Shavuot is just a few weeks away...
I recently read a story about a rather pompous-looking deacon who was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. 'Why do you think people call me a Christian?' the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said, 'Maybe it's because they don't know you.'
If you keep a grain of wheat in your pocket, it will look exactly the same ten years from now. But place it in the right environment -- some good ground, enough water -- it will sprout into a living sheaf of grain!
This coming Sunday will mark the beginning of Pesach (Passover) Season on the Hebrew calendar. On Sunday morning, it will be the 10th of Nisan the very same day that Yeshua (Jesus) would have entered Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Every 10th of Nisan, four days before Pesach, the children of Israel would choose a lamb for the Passover sacrifice. Each man would take a lamb for his household. Four days were required to inspect the animal to make sure it was perfect and without blemish.