Reject Senseless Arguments

2 Timothy 2:23-26 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“23But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. 24And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. 25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. 26Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.”

 

Avoid Foolish Controversies

 

What does “foolish and ignorant speculation” look like? It has to do with foolish and ignorant (without knowledge) arguments (controversies, debates). And what do those look like? It depends a lot on perspective and on what people are being taught, and what truth or lies they are buying into, or what examples are being set before them. But let me suggest one of them. And it has to do with a pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib rapture of the church. Too many people arguing over when Jesus is going to come again to take his bride (the church) to be with him. Why? Do any of us know? No!

 

And what benefit is gained by such a debate? None! But what is important to discuss along those lines? Are you ready to meet Him when He does return? Is your heart right with God? Are you walking in obedience to His commands, no longer as slaves to sin? Or are you still playing chess with God, i.e. are you manipulating your circumstances and testing your boundaries hoping to not get caught and to lose? For if you are, you must know that Jesus said that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one doing the will of God the Father.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

 

So, choose your battles wisely. Yes, rebuke the lies of Satan and speak the truth of God’s word to the people, but avoid foolish arguments over things which do not matter for eternity, and/or which are begun by “trolls” and people who just like to argue who are not really seeking the truth at all. They just want to bait you into an argument. They feed off of that. And this does not mean you not correct the lies and you not proclaim the truth of God’s word if the lies are what are leading people to hell. Defend the truth and rebuke the lies which are leading God’s people in the wrong direction.

 

Be Kind to Everyone

 

Not everyone is going to agree with you on everything. A lot of people may oppose you and fight against you. Pick your battles wisely. Pray for wisdom in what to say and in what not to say and as to whether you should say anything at all. Remember that Jesus and His New Testament apostles often got accused falsely of things which they did not do or say. Sometimes they just walked away from those situations, and other times they debated with their opponents in order to refute the lies and to proclaim the truth. So defending your own honor or the honor of God’s word is not wrong.

 

But we should be kind to everyone. We should not “trade tit for tat,” i.e. we are not to trade insults for insults. If others are nasty and hateful to us, we are not to be nasty and hateful to them. State the truth! Yes! But do it in a way which is kind and not nasty, or else just walk away from the situation when you realize the direction that it is going, especially if it is one of those repetitive arguments which are intended to get you riled up and to lead to repeating the same arguments. But it is okay to defend your own honor. Jesus did! The apostles did! And they defended the honor of God’s Word.

 

Gently Reprove

 

Depending upon whom you are having to reprove biblically will depend on the approach that you take. Jesus was way stronger with the Pharisees than he was with his own disciples or as he was with sinners who needed to be led to repentance. We can be honest without being hateful and nasty. But those who are living in willful and deliberate and habitual sin, who have been there a very long time, while still they profess faith in Jesus Christ, may have to be dealt with stronger than those who have no relationship with Jesus or who are just beginning their walks of faith in obedience to God.

 

But “gently reprove” never should mean tolerating sin in the lives of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, or giving them the impression that God is okay with them sinning. Too many people today, in the name of “love,” are pacifying professing Christians in their sins and are not calling them to repentance, and are not warning them of the judgments of God should they continue in deliberate and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. They are those who “softball” the gospel to make it less offensive and more acceptable to the flesh, but who lead people to hell.

 

So do not quarrel (debate, argue) with people over things which do not matter for eternity. Avoid foolish arguments which go nowhere good. But don’t “softball” the gospel message or refuse to share the gospel of Christ with people to avoid offending them. Speak the truth of God’s word to the people, but speak it in love. And if someone wants to just pick a fight, walk away. Don’t let them bait you into an argument which goes nowhere good. Love your enemies. Be kind to those who treat you badly. And keep speaking the truth of God’s Word to the people for their salvation and life in Christ.

 

[Proverbs 24:17-20; Proverbs 25:21-22; Matthew 5:8-12,43-48; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 10:27; John 12:25,42-43; John 13:33-35; John 14:15-21; John 15:12; Romans 12:9-11,14-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 1 Corinthians 16:14; Galatians 6:2; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7-8]

 

Reject Senseless Arguments

An Original Work / September 19, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Love Must Be Genuine

 

Based off Romans 12:9-21

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

 

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

 

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

 

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

 

https://vimeo.com/114695549

My Heart's Desire

Oh, Lord, You are my heart’s desire

I want to do what You require

To meet with You at break of day

To read Your word, to bow and pray

 

To listen to Your every word

To think not that it is absurd

To drink its truths into my heart

So, from You, Lord, I’ll not depart

 

To love You, Lord, as You love me

You gave Your life upon a tree

You sacrificed for all my sin

So, by Your Spirit, pure within

 

To love Your people, the world, too

To share with them all that You do

To show them why for us You died

Our sins, with You, be crucified

 

Now we can live for You each day

To do all that You do and say

To minister Your word, in truth

To dissipate the lies uncouth

 

To give such hope as You gave me

That from my sin I would be free

To walk with You, serve You each day

Surrendered to You, Lord, I pray

 

An Original Work / April 15, 2021

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Out of a Pure Heart

2 Timothy 2:15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“15 Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”

 

When we believe in Jesus Christ and He delivers us from our bondage to sin, and He gives us new lives in Him, they are to be lived for His glory and purposes, all in the power of God, as led by the Spirit, and not in our flesh. For our salvation isn’t just about getting forgiveness of sins so we can go to heaven when we die. When we believe in Jesus, if our faith is genuine biblical faith, we enter into a covenant of marriage to Christ. He becomes our husband and we become His bride, and we are to be faithful to Him.

 

So our lives are no longer our own to be lived however our flesh desires. For we were bought back for God with the price of Jesus’ blood shed for us on that cross. He is now our Owner-Master and our lives are to be surrendered to Him to doing His will. So we now should inquire of Him as to who He wants us to be and what He has for us to do, and we should follow Him wherever He leads us. And we should be students of the Scriptures who put the Word of God into practice and who teach them to others in truth.

 

2 Timothy 2:19 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

 

We have so many people today, including probably a large majority of pastors of “churches,” who are teaching lies to the people as though they are truth. They remove Scriptures from their biblical context and they teach them out of context, and they twist them to make them say what they do not say if taught in the correct biblical context. And many of them are teaching the people that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ will secure for them forgiveness of all sins and eternal life with God in heaven.

 

Therefore, many of them are teaching that God no longer requires repentance (turning away from sin/iniquity) and obedience to His New Covenant commands. For they call that “works salvation.” And then there are those who teach death to sin and obedience to God, but they are taught as recommended but optional, i.e. not required by God for them to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But if we read the New Testament Scriptures, it is so clear that God does require those things.

 

2 Timothy 2:22 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“22 Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

 

So, please know that salvation from sin and eternal life with God, which are gifted to us of God, and are not of our own flesh, require that we flee the passions of the flesh and we now pursue godliness, holiness, honesty, moral purity, self-control, uprightness, faithfulness, faith, love, righteousness, and the peace which comes from God because we are now living right with God. We are no longer to be under the control of sin and the flesh doing what the devil still wants us to be doing. But we are to be living to please God.

 

And we will have pure hearts when our lives are surrendered to the Lord to doing His will, when we are walking in His ways, obeying His commands, and doing what He requires of us in the way of thought, word, and deed. Sin will no longer be our habit, but godly living will be our practice. And this does not make us perfect, but lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. For faith in Jesus changes our hearts and minds so that we now want to live for the Lord to do His will for our lives.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Out of a Pure Heart

An Original Work / September 19, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Refresh My Spirit, Lord 

 

Based off of Psalm 51 & Matthew 11:28-30

An Original Work / August 8, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Refresh my spirit, Lord. Revive my heart today.

Move me to serve You, Lord, in all I do and say.

Be my heart’s one desire; my spirit set on fire

In pure devotion, Lord, to love You and obey.

 

Create within me, Lord, a pure heart, this I pray,

So I can worship You and yield to You always.

May all Your love and pow’r be lived in me, I pray,

So I might love as You; be Your witness today.

 

Jesus says, “Come to Me all you with heavy hearts,

And find in Me your peace, and give to Me your all.

My yoke is light to bear, ‘cause I paid for your sin,

So you might be set free, and purified within.”

 

https://vimeo.com/126092767

A Trustworthy Saying

 

Perseverance in The Faith

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“3We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing. 4That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.”

 

Encouraging the Body

 

When we read the epistles, i.e. the letters to the churches throughout the New Testament books, not just in the book of Revelation, we are given many instructions in how we should and should not live, in the things we should and should not do, and in what it means biblically to be followers of Christ. These are principles we can all apply to our lives, if we will. But when it comes to giving words of encouragement to a specific group of people, we must be careful that we do not take that as for us unless it applies to us. For not everyone is maturing and loving and enduring persecution for Christ.

 

For example, here Paul is writing to the church of the Thessalonians, meaning the full congregation of the saints of God throughout the entire city. But they did not have large buildings back then for large congregational gatherings. They most likely met in small groups in people’s homes. But collectively all Christians throughout the city were the church in that city. And here Paul was encouraging the Christians because their faith was growing more and more, and their love for one another was increasing. And they persevered in their faith in the face of persecution and much affliction.

 

So, is encouragement important to have? It is! But should we be faithful to God even if we don’t have any, or very little, but we get a lot of opposition? Yes! We must! Should we allow how other people treat us, for good or for evil, to impact how we live? We should live for the Lord no matter how we are treated by other humans. And we must love all people, even those who hate us and who speak evil of us and who do evil against us. And we must keep growing in our walks of faith to maturity in Christ no matter what our circumstances might be. So, if you are doing that, then praise the Lord!!

 

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“5All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might, 10on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.”

 

Suffering for the Kingdom

 

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, and if we are letting Him guide us and direct us in the ways that He would have us to go, according to His calling and purpose for our lives, even in the face of must persecution and rejection, then we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which we are suffering. But this means that, by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we have denied self, we are dying to sin (putting sin to death daily), and we are walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to His New Covenant commands, by God’s grace and in the power of God.

 

While we still live on the earth, if we are truly in the center of God’s will, doing His will and purpose for our lives, we should expect that we will face persecution and false accusations against our character. We may have friends and family members reject us or want nothing to do with us because of our seriousness of faith and obedience to God’s leading in our lives. Especially here in the USA where the majority appear to be pampering people in their sins and where the “feel good” stuff is being preferred to the hard truths of the Scriptures, we will face opposition if we obey God.

 

One day this will all be over, either when we die or when Jesus returns to judge and to take His faithful bride to be with Him for eternity. Sadly many people, including many who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who did not honor God with their lives, but who chose their own selfish paths instead, will be judged by God. And they will hear our Lord say, “Depart from me you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you.” And they will suffer eternal destruction. For not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God (see Matthew 7:21-23).

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

11To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith, 12so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Praying for You

 

As followers of Christ, we need to pray for one another. We need to pray for those who are professing faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but who are still living to please the flesh, still deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord and not obeying His commands in life practice. We need to pray for their salvation, that they will turn from their sins and now obey God with their lives. And we need to pray for the faithful among us who are doing the will of God, who are sharing the gospel for the salvation of human lives, and who are suffering persecution for speaking the truth and not the lies.

 

Perseverance in The Faith

An Original Work / September 18, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Pray, Pray, Pray 

 

Based off Various Scriptures

An Original Work / September 6, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Pray that eyes may enlightened be,

So they may know Christ.

Pray that they may Him better know,

Strengthened by His pow’r.

Pray that they may grasp how wide and long

And high and deep is Christ’s love.

Pray that they may be filled

To the fullness of God’s love.

Pray with thanksgiving.

 

Pray for an open door for me,

So I may share Christ.

Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –

Shared with clarity.

Pray words are given me so

I declare the gospel fearlessly.

I pray for you to be active

Sharing your faith, too.

Pray continually.

 

We oft not know for what to pray,

So we ask for help.

The Spirit intercedes for us –

Words cannot express.

Just keep on praying for the saints

With all kinds of requests to God.

Pray they may have faith to

Please their God in ev’ry way.

Pray with joyfulness.

 

https://vimeo.com/119259373

Down for The Long Haul

When I last saw him he was hunkered down

Down for the long haul, got nowhere to run

Closed in his spaces, time is not his friend

When will this be o’er? Will it ever end?

Life is a changing, change from day to day

Back and forth it goes in so many ways

Fear and confusion, messages galore

Keeps us a wond’ring what’s for us in store

Who’s in the office running a tight ship?

One day it’s someone, tomorrow it could flip

Global endeavors driving this, for sure

The masqueraders have us on the lure

Where will they take us? Revelation times.

They, mighty conquerors have us all in line

What is the answer to all that it’s about?

Call on the Father, don’t give in to doubt

Our Lord is with us, He’s still in command,

He is not finished working out His plan

Trust in His mercy, believe in His grace

He’s got a purpose, it’s all part of the race

Kindled with kindness, with love at its best

Jesus is longing we live in righteousness

Too many wand’ring far away from God

Trapped in their idols, give not, their Lord, a nod

Fully surrendered, few there are to be

Not many living down on bended knee

God is not willing anyone should die

Call to repentance is the truth, no lie

Sounding the trumpet. Gather all accord

Fully surrender your lives to your Lord

Time is a wasting. Don’t delay this now

Turn your heart to Jesus and before Him bow

He will forgive you of all of your sins

If you are willing to let Him live within

An Original Work / April 15, 2020

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Putting on a Performance

1 Thessalonians 4:1,3-8 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us…”

 

“3For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; 4each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you. 7For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. 8Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.”

 

The Morally Unclean

 

The picture the Lord is giving me of this today is with regard to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but who, in reality, are the sexually immoral, morally unclean, malicious, deceivers, manipulators, liars, self-indulgent, selfish, prideful, and those who fake their Christianity while they live the opposite of that. They give off the impression that they are Christians, and that they are good people, but it is a charade – a pretense, a performance in order to convince others that they are good and not evil.

 

And what the Lord reminded me of this morning is the handwriting on the wall in Daniel 5, verse 27, where it says: “You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient” (or wanting or lacking). And this is about God, in His judgments of human beings, weighing their actions which turn out to be sinful and contrary to the Word and to the will of God. And that is what today’s passage teaches, too, that the Lord will avenge the one who does such things and then who lies about it to try to cover it up to look better.

 

Sometimes those who are guilty of such willful and habitual sins as are mentioned here will pass the blame onto someone else who is innocent. They may lie about the ones they are sinning against, giving them a bad reputation, while they lie about themselves, giving themselves a good reputation. These types of people are usually charmers who other people are naturally attracted to who hide their sins so that no one will suspect them of evil. They are so convincing that people will easily believe their lies as truth.

 

God’s Will

 

But it is the will of God that we who profess faith in Jesus Christ must be those who have died with Christ to sin and who are now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands as a matter of life practice, in His power. We who profess His name are to live in a way which is pleasing to God, not pleasing to our sinful flesh. For it is God’s will that we should be holy, and to be holy is to be different, unlike the world, because we are being molded by God into His likeness, and it is to put sin to death and to live for our Lord.

 

For Jesus Christ did not give His life up for us on that cross to forgive us our sins and then to give us permission to keep on in our sins without guilt or consequence. He put our sins to death with Him so that, by God-gifted faith in Him we will now deny self, die to sin, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to His commands. Forgiveness of sins teaches “go and sin no more.” It is not carte blanche (free reign) to continue in sin. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

Regardless of what is so popular today in being taught as “the gospel,” so much of what is being taught are lies created in the minds of humans who want to be able to continue in their sin without consequence. And so they teach that all we have to do is to make a profession of faith in Jesus and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is what awaits us. But the Scriptures teach the opposite of that. They teach we must abstain from such sins as are mentioned here because the Lord will avenge such sinful acts.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Putting on a Performance

An Original Work / September 18, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Your Heart 

 

An Original Work / October 24, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Tenderly He speaks, softly so.

Gently He calls - His will to know.

Won’t you invite Him in your heart?

Humbly accept Him now.

Bow before Him with contrite heart.

May you obey His will.

Seek Him with all your heart and soul,

And your heart, His Spirit fill.

 

Jesus died to free you from sin,

Giving you new life to begin,

Walking with Him ev’ry hour,

Obeying His commands.

Won’t you trust Him to be your Lord?

His grace you can’t afford.

Freely He gives you peace within,

When you turn from all your sin.

 

Live for Him ev’ry passing day.

Meet with Him; read His word and pray.

Serve Him in the way He leads you,

Doing all that He says.

Do unto others as you would

Have them do unto you.

Love them with Jesus love within you.

Your hearts to God be true.

 

https://vimeo.com/125864134