The Pressure’s Off

Scripture:
“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, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Observation:
A couple of things jump out at me from these verses. First is that we can’t argue someone into the Kingdom. It reminds me of what I have heard preachers say so many times – “If I can talk you into it, someone else can talk you out of it.” It is not up to me to try and convince and persuade someone through arguing with them. The scripture does say I need to know what I’m talking about – that I am “able to teach” and that I must do so with a gentle spirit – “gently instruct those who oppose”. Second, and this takes the pressure off, is that God is the one who leads to and grants repentance, which in turn leads to a knowledge of the truth.

Application:
Praise God that the pressure is not on me to have a rational, fine tuned argument to woo someone to the kingdom of God. My role is this: instead of being quarrelsome – to be kind and gentle, instead of being unable to communicate my beliefs – to be able to teach, instead of being hostile and resentful to an opposing viewpoint – to be calm and gentle, instead of thinking the weight is on my shoulders – to trust and know that it is God’s kindness that leads men to repentance, not my oratory skills. It is as Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

Prayer:
God, draw men to Yourself today and use my life as part of the process. May I be filled with kindness, gentleness and humility as I interact with people today and everyday. Use my life as an instrument to point people to Your grace and love.

— Jason Elam, worship pastor, Clinton campus