Click here to go to 2 Timothy 2
Sorry for being late today... work issues had me working last night (ya, I know bad for a Sunday night, but it doesn't happen too often)
But 2 Timothy 2 is rich with words of wisdom and truth... several jumped out at me but here are the 2 that I really liked:
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.
and
15 Work hard so
you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good
worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains
the word of truth.
"who correctly explains the word of truth" this summer our pastor took our Sunday School class through how to do an inductive Bible study and then asked each of us to take a Sunday and prepare a lesson. I went first. There's a lot of work in preparing a lesson from scratch, especially when the pastor is one of the members. I take serious the scripture that talks about teachers having a responsibility. (sorry I can't remember where that verse is) It was neat for me when Pastor used things from my lesson during our prayer time. (I used John 17, the title was "Jesus Prayed for You!"
And He did! Before facing the beatings and the cross, He prayed for us.
A nice thought for a Monday morning!
"23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."
ReplyDeleteSometimes, it is so hard to avoid foolish, ignorant arguments these days! This is a good reminder to avoid, avoid, avoid.
2 Timothy 2
ReplyDelete1 My child, find your source of strength in the kindness of Christ Jesus.
3-4 Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Whoever serves in the military doesn’t get mixed up in non-military activities. This pleases his commanding officer.
A pastor spoke once about being in the service and being on guard every day at the same fence line. A family coming and going lived nearby, and they would acknowledge each other. He said he realized he could not take food or drink from them, even with their familiarity, because he was the military and they were the countrymen. That stuck with me for a long time as realizing our position of Who we serve.
22b Pursue faith, love, and peace together with those who worship the Lord with a pure heart.
24-26 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be willing to suffer wrong. He must be gentle in correcting those who oppose the Good News. Maybe God will allow them to change the way they think and act and lead them to know the truth. Then they might come back to their senses and God will free them from the devil’s snare so that they can do his will.