Be Still And Know

2 Timothy 2:24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach and be patient with difficult people. Every Christian is a servant of the Lord, but in this verse Paul is particularly thinking of the responsibilities of church leaders. Clearly, they cannot serve the Lord if they are prone to pick quarrels, but more than that, they need to be kind to everyone. Kindness reflects the nature of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that church leaders should avoid debating with opponents or that they should side-step difficult situations – far from it. Church leaders are called to face the toughest of challenges but to do so with gentleness, warmth and kindness. Being patient with difficult people has always been a fundamental requirement of church leaders. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he referred to them suffering fools gladly (2 Corinthians 11:19). I once heard it said that our calling is not merely to suffer fools gladly but to enjoy them enormously! Every community will