For the Sake of Argument

"And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth."  2 Timothy 2:24-25 (NIV) 

Have you ever run into those people who enjoy making a debate out of everything?  They will play the devil's advocate on every issue just for the sake of argument.  They may not even believe the stance they're taking on the topic at hand, but enjoy the debate so much that they're willing to flip-flop just to keep things going.

They're usually not interested in coming to a solid and truthful conclusion - they just want to debate.  They drive me crazy!

As Christians, I hope that none of us allow ourselves to be pulled into these pointless arguments.  If we are careful to listen to the Holy Spirit, we will be able to discern when someone is truly interested in an honest discussion or when they just want to argue every side of an issue.

We must always be ready to give an answer for our faith...

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

 ...but we don't have to feel obligated to engage in pointless arguments with someone who is not truly interested in discussing God.  Let the Spirit lead you, speak kindly in hopes that God will open their minds, but at the point it just becomes an argument - feel free to politely walk away.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for friends who are truly seeking answers. Give us the right words at the right time to point the way to Christ. Help us also to recognize those who just want to pull us into senseless arguments and show us a way to politely excuse ourselves from the debate. Amen

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)