Arguments’ Rewards

There are times when it becomes a prize-less fight to defend myself or my opinion. When my character or my doctrine are being challenged, what should move me to defend them? When should I refuse to invest in the argument? 

When someone accuses me of having made a mistake that someone else really made, when I have been misquoted, when something I teach as true is being challenged by someone in front of my students, how should I decide when to fight, how to fight, and when to treat the attack as a waste of time that doesn’t deserve a response?

Ask the Spirit. He knows what He is doing in the other person’s heart at the moment, and what will help or hurt His work. He knows whether there is value in exposing them to truth or waiting until they are capable of hearing it. He knows when He is teaching me self-control or peace or agape, and may want to strengthen my abilities to respond with those powers rather than simply winning the argument.

When I win an argument but lose a friend, when I win the debate but drive someone from Jesus, when I am more concerned about my reputation than their relationship with Jesus, I have my mind turned away from the Kingdom value of the prize list.