Picking Battles

A friend of mine once posted a quote on Facebook that said, “Many people don’t know this, but you can read something you disagree with on the internet and just move on with your life.” Regarding very many things, that’s true. There are plenty of differences of opinion that do not impact a person’s spiritual life in the slightest. Regarding all these things, disagreements can be overlooked, and Christians are even commanded to overcome divisions that may arise from such petty differences (Rom. 12:18).

Paul touched on these kinds of differences in 1 Corinthians 9 as he wrote about maintaining consideration for the soul above all else. He was willing to give up rights, make his life harder, adopt different habits, and leave behind his preferences, if it meant reaching a soul with the gospel more effectively (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

I am not surprised when I see people in the world fighting and drawing social lines over pointless preferences, such as sports teams, preferred dining, and whether the book was actually better than the movie. Christians, however, should be far beyond such concerns. We ought to be more concerned with agreement on God’s communication through His Word and obedience to that communication.

Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight, and also said he had done that very thing near the end of his own life (1 Tim. 1:8; 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). There are battles worth fighting, hills worth dying on, but those are full of spiritual truth and are fought for the good of the soul. Pick battles that God says are worth fighting, ensure your fight is a good one in His sight, and even when others swarm against you, you can sleep well knowing you have maintained your participation in the hope of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:23-27).