Do we take time to think?

I have been reading a great deal of blogs and forums lately. Many of the posts have been truly inspiring while others are merely entertaining as I learn more about the people who have been around me for years.

Within those countless posts, have been a few very involved debates on everything from "movies about gay cowboys" to "what is the basis of our faith" to "should The Salvation Army continue to view itself as an army." Some have been debates of religion, some have been political (unadmittadely by most involved - is that even a word?!) and some have been just plain silly (what would you do if you saw someone fall?) Apologies to any discussions I may have misrepresented in my titles - those are just what I came away feeling the discussion centered around.

Then I came upon this passage in my devotions this morning:

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

And I came away realizing why I find myself so frustrated at times over what I am reading on-line. So often I have read comments that start with "I don't have time right now to look this up, but the Bible says somewhere that . . ." Or "I wish I had more time to think this through a little more thoroughly, but I don't, so I think I believe . . ." I have even caught myself saying some of these same things.

Ultimately, we end up with endless discussions based mostly on personal opinion or feeling. It is not often that our answers are totally in line with the Word of God.

Look out, here comes my personal discovery . . . This morning I realized that debates that I win based soley on my limitless wisdom (tongue-in-cheek) and personal insight typically leave me with a damaged relationship with the person I was debating. Whereas a discussion resolved directly from a correct handling of the Word of God leaves us both feeling as if we have found the truth without a loss in our relationship. I haven't fully processed this yet (althought I am attempting to take the time to do so), but it seems to me that this realization may be something that enables me to grow in my understanding of things without sacrificing those with whom I am growing.

I end with a couple of questions: Is this too simplistic of a way to think? Can all of the discussions we have been having be clearly resolved through scripture? Are we maybe moving so quickly from topic to topic that we don't ever really take the time to resolve our understanding of any of them?