For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
The truth about every
person on this earth is that they don’t typically like to hear words that
expose or shine light on the errors of their ways… Nobody likes to be singled or called out;
however, in Christ we are called to approach one anther regarding faults and
failures (the key being in love) as this promotes growth and maturation… We all have made mistakes and acknowledging
the mistake and learning from the experience is how we keep from repeating the
same mistake and hindering our development in Christ… Paul reminds this
principle to Timothy in a second look at these key verses from his letter in
today’s devotional… I don’t know about you, but I can speak from personal
experience and tell you that is it painful for someone to speak words deemed (constructive criticism) when you are doing something that need to be
changed or is just plain wrong… This is not only vital to our growth as
Christians, but how we handle the truth will lead us in the right or wrong
direction… This is what Paul is instructing Timothy about in this passage…
People want to come to church and hear about all the good things and the
blessings that God has in store for them, they want to hear about how He has
all power and that in your walk with Him you will prosper; however, they don’t
want to hear the fact that you must take up your cross, they don’t want to
review the words of James and “look into the
mirror…” The word of God is
simply that, the word of God and you cannot deem what parts of pieces that you
want to accept and what parts or pieces that you want to reject… As we grow in
Christ and learn to speak the truth in love, we are reminded and instructed
today to understand that not everyone wants to hear the pure and true word of
God… Not everyone wants to find their flaws, not everyone once to go through
the purging process and have their lives transformed… Paul teaches Timothy and
us today of the times that we will indeed face and are facing… One of the
biggest problems we find in the church today is a misguided message and a
misguided church body… Paul charges Timothy today and us not to cave in to the
pressures of the world… The bible teaches us
that the word is sharper than a double-edge sword… When Josiah became king over Israel the word tells us that the book of the law was found in the
temple… As the prophets read the book of the law to Josiah he tore his clothes
in disgust… This passage teaches us that the word will and is here to convict
and reform us… When we begin to please the ears of men, we devalue the word of
God and the focus and direction that it brings…
Paul charges Timothy
today to remain steadfast in God’s word and not to allow the missteps of his
peers to deter him or thwart God’s will and plan for his life… Paul was nearing
the end of his life and passing the mantle to Timothy! Today we have seen many
great leaders go on to see what the end would be and the mantle has been passed
to us… Paul is saying to us today that there will be times when people will
reject Christ and you because of your faith and your true words…The truth of
their rejection is not a deterrent to you, but it shows that your words have
hit them in a soar spot that can only be healed through the divine power of
God… There will be times when people will skew or slant the word of God to
fulfill the desires of the flesh… We can surely look at the times we are in today (prosperity
gospel, scientology etc…) and see that this is the time that we must stand! One of the biggest and best witnesses we have
is the life that we lead… Paul charges Timothy today as a leader to stay the
course… We have a charge as Christians to stay the course… Don’t become weary
when we see people go astray; don’t become disappointed when people reject the
word of God… Jesus told the 72 to shake the dust off their feet when someone
did not want to receive the word of the Lord… Understand that people are out in
this world searching for happiness, they are searching for pleasure and they
are searching for fulfillment…Whether the word of God is accepted or not,
it’s our job to plant the word of God in all people we encounter and allow God
to provide the increase… In the book of James
we gain a better understanding of the power that lies within the tongue… Your
words are powerful, your witness is undeniable and the Grace of God will
protect and keep you! Peter denied knowing Christ three times in the courtyard
and left weeping; however in the book of Acts he is seen standing tall denying
the notions that the people surrounding him were drunk… As a result of his
witness 3,000 souls were saved… They weren’t saved because Peter pleased their
itching ear, but because he spoke the word of God…Likewise, Paul is
reinforcing Timothy today, he is saying stand tall in the midst of this crooked
world, hold on in the midst of darkness and ignite the spark of God that lies
within… Paul was telling
Timothy that your time is now! This world may reject you, but they need to hear
your voice; they need to hear your message and the power that Christ has placed
within you! Today is your day, today this world needs to see your witness, and
they need to feel your presents and God’s power! Display your faith and God’s
faithfulness… Trust in the Lord,
don’t be overcome by the world, but overcome the world by good (which is the
word of God)!
ALL FOR HIM!
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