Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:14-15
Lord, I cannot thank You enough for all that You have done for me. When You came into my life, making clear to me the way, I could not help but surrender my life to You. You set me on a course that has led to not only my life being better, but also have caused me to grow in ways beyond my understanding. You have been good!
I confess that I can easily get caught up in the mundane things of life, getting bogged down by things that take my attention off of what is truly important. Because I engage with so many people who do not know You, I can find myself engaging in worthless banter that really, at the end of the day, really makes little eternal difference in the lives of those whom I am in dialogue with. In some of the worse instances, my words can potentially turn them off on all things spiritual, seeing me as an out of control zealot who is out of touch with the challenges they are confronted with. Lord, please forgive me!
Today, my prayer is that You would make me ever so conscious of how I am being experienced by others. In those areas where conflict does arise, help me to error on the side of love and compassion, demonstrating Your grace and mercy in a tangible way to them. I want to be a doorway welcoming them into the fellowship of Your family. It is my desire to put You first and others second with me a distant third. Therefore, help me not to want to always be right, especially when it comes to handling Your Word and sharing with others how You view the challenges that they face in their lives. I want my words to be well received, with my love and commitment to You apparent, and my love for them without question. Any damage that I have done or am doing, I pray for You to repair it through my repentance and reconciliation efforts. In the end I want Christ to be lifted up as the answer to all of life’s questions and for You to be glorified. Intervene as You see fit and use me in Jesus’ Name.