“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Tim 2:24-25).

Whenever we disagree with someone else, the inner-lawyer within desires to prove himself right. This desire is compounded exponentially when we disagree about spiritual things because of our conviction the Bible is God-breathed (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17). How quickly we begin acting like a dog with a bone, growling and biting anyone who dares touch our beloved system of belief.

This is how we will act when, and only when, our desire to win the argument is greater than our desire to win the person with whom we disagree.

How easy it is to be a preacher, shouting our message with pointed finger. But oh how difficult in these moments to be a teacher, patiently and strategically absorbing mistreatment if only God would open the eyes of this precious person who is dangerously wrong and doesn’t even know it. Dear God, give us the supernatural ability to look beyond the chessboard to see this person whom you love sitting across from us, in the dark and desperately trying to move all the wrong pieces!

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).