Be Still And Know

2 Timothy 2:24 Every Christian is a servant of the Lord but there is no doubt that 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 is a word which reflects the nature of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that church leaders should avoid getting into debate with opponents, or that they should side-step difficult situations. Far from it. Church leaders are called upon to face the toughest of challenges 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 include people who are challenging and, if we are honest, we might recognise that w