Opinionated [& Loud]

SCRIPTURE: Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 2 Timothy 2:14 NIV

THOUGHT: It’s kind of depressing that two thousand years ago, fresh in the faith, Christians were already quarreling about words. The echo of “Did God really say…?” reverberated off temple columns, in marketplaces and in the homes where new believers met.

Well, sadly, that echo keeps replaying itself: Believers, arguing about theology. Having a good grip on the truth is wonderful, but at the end of the day, the real test, with all our knowledge, is do we love one another? That’s how those watching will know that we are Jesus-followers, not how well we parse the meaning of propitiation or understand eschatology. I’ve had some personal experience with walking away from faith because of dogmatic opinions paired with little love, so please believe Timothy when he says it will happen. It’s so easy to give all our time and energy to the things that divide us right now, but maybe God is giving a lot of attention to how and where our love is showing up.

PRAYER: Your word says that you are love, God. Your word says Jesus was a gift of your love for the world. Your word says that of the three things that abide – faith,  hope and love – love is the greatest. Your word even says we are to love our enemies. We need your help so that our love will not grow cold and our words quarrelsome in these days, oh God.

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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.

Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.

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