Today's Readings - Ezekiel 17-18, 2 Timothy 3:1–4:8, Psalm 119:121–128, Proverbs 27:4–6
Devotional - In Difficult Days
I am not a date-setter concerning the Lord's return; the Bible is clear that we ought never to engage in that practice. Will Christ return in my lifetime? In a hundred years? A thousand? I don't know. You don't either and we ought not to speculate.
One thing I do know is that the world Paul described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is similar to the world we live in today. He described how things would be "in the last days" and gave a spot-on prophecy of our world. Of course, the "last days" refers to the time between the first and second comings of Christ, but it is clear that as time goes on and the days of Christ's return draw nearer, we see these things growing more common. Does this not seem like a description of our world?
But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.
We have exalted the love of self over the love of others, though Christ called us to join him at his Cross. Can anyone argue that it is unfair to describe Americans as "lovers of money" or that we tend to love pleasure more than we love God? Of course, these qualities are part of the sinful human nature and have always been present, but these trends have escalated dramatically in my lifetime.
Not only are people boastful and proud today, but we are encouraged to be so - self-assertion and self-adulation are part of a "healthy self-image" according to many. Again, children have always disobeyed their parents, but now the very concept of parental authority is often undercut. Our culture demonstrates a distinct lack of "love for what is good", especially in entertainment.
The last line is one that haunts me. Religion abounds in America, but I often wonder how much of it is simply a form of godliness - going through the motions of Christianity - without really living in the power of God through his Holy Spirit.
None of us knows the time of the Lord's return, but we are living in the exact kind of world that Paul described in 2 Timothy 3.
What should we do? Despair? Stand by and complain about the wickedness of this world, shaking our heads in judgment? That was not Paul's response. He pointed Timothy to the inspired scriptures (in 3:16) and told him they were useful for dealing with life in a sinful world. In fact, they were able to make one "complete, equipped for every good work." The unchanging power of the word is still relevant even in a changing world.
In the next chapter (remember, those chapter divisions are not part of the inspired text), he reminded Timothy to preach the word and persist in it (4:2) in spite of those who would reject the truth and gather lying teachers around them.
What is the point? We live in a wicked world. Maybe the end is near, maybe it is not. I don't know and neither do you. What we do know that that the word of God is powerful, inspired and useful. It can change lives as we proclaim the message of Christ.
It was by continuing to proclaim Christ faithfully in a sinful world that Paul was able, just before his death, to say, in 4:7,
We may live in an awful world - sinful, fallen, broken, brutal. But we have an awesome God who has given us a powerful Word by which to live. We must not be discouraged by the wickedness of the world, but must continue to persistently proclaim God's truth, knowing that the power of God works through the preaching of his word.Not only are people boastful and proud today, but we are encouraged to be so - self-assertion and self-adulation are part of a "healthy self-image" according to many. Again, children have always disobeyed their parents, but now the very concept of parental authority is often undercut. Our culture demonstrates a distinct lack of "love for what is good", especially in entertainment.
The last line is one that haunts me. Religion abounds in America, but I often wonder how much of it is simply a form of godliness - going through the motions of Christianity - without really living in the power of God through his Holy Spirit.
None of us knows the time of the Lord's return, but we are living in the exact kind of world that Paul described in 2 Timothy 3.
What should we do? Despair? Stand by and complain about the wickedness of this world, shaking our heads in judgment? That was not Paul's response. He pointed Timothy to the inspired scriptures (in 3:16) and told him they were useful for dealing with life in a sinful world. In fact, they were able to make one "complete, equipped for every good work." The unchanging power of the word is still relevant even in a changing world.
In the next chapter (remember, those chapter divisions are not part of the inspired text), he reminded Timothy to preach the word and persist in it (4:2) in spite of those who would reject the truth and gather lying teachers around them.
What is the point? We live in a wicked world. Maybe the end is near, maybe it is not. I don't know and neither do you. What we do know that that the word of God is powerful, inspired and useful. It can change lives as we proclaim the message of Christ.
It was by continuing to proclaim Christ faithfully in a sinful world that Paul was able, just before his death, to say, in 4:7,
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Father, may I never despair at the wickedness of this world, but may I rest and hope in your sovereignty and the power of your Spirit to change hearts.
Think and Pray
Which of the readings spoke most powerfully to you today?Is the Spirit of God moving you to repent of something you are doing, to begin something new, or to change something about your life as a result of your readings? What?
Are you panicking and in despair over the state of the world?
Remember that Jesus predicted a world like this and also that in such a world, the gospel is still the power of God for salvation and the word of God
No comments:
Post a Comment