Posts that reference the book of 2 Timothy

2 Timothy

Study Tip: Making Lists

Most of us concede that if we really have to remember something, we write it down. Important information seems to come at us in lists. If you watch, Scripture is no different. Some of the lists you’re already familiar with- Ten Commandments, Fruit of the Spirit and so forth. Sometimes though, the lists are a little more subtle.

They can take the form of instructions, like in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go… teach… baptize… teach.”

They can be attributes, as in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

It might be an action plan. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10) Yesterday we discussed being prepared for worship, and today, we’re prepared to work. Here’s our mission. We find out what God says, we do it, and we tell others. Why would we want to make it more complicated than that?

One of my favorite lists is in Ephesians 1:3-6. Check out the blessings in those few verses! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

1. Every spiritual blessing (We could actually stop there. The rest of it explains some of what that entails.)

2. Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world

3. Holy & blameless before Him in love

4. Adopted as His children

5. Accepted by His grace, according to His will.

Now we could dicker about exactly how many things should or could be on the list… ‘Holy” and ‘blameless’ could be two separate items, but no matter how you cut it, that’s a pretty fantastic list. There’s another in Romans 5:1-11. Check out all that ‘we’ have, what ‘we’ were and what ‘we’ are now.

Noticing and even writing down the lists that are in Scripture cause us to slow down and consider the truth for an extra moment or two. I number them in the text or write them in the margin. Watch for lists in Scripture, and spend some time with them, at least as much time as the grocery list or that to-do list. After all, these will last much longer.

Fighting Fear

By Paula

Today starts the second week of camp with the high school kids. We use the same lessons, but try a little more depth and a little more intensity (mess, that is) with the games.

We’ve discussed with the kids that they received superpowers as soon as they were saved, including the indwelling Holy Spirit to help them accomplish the mission God gives us to evangelize the world. We warned them that the Enemy has plenty of weapons of his own to hinder us, including anger. Another huge weapon- the one that works on me- is fear.

We don’t usually think of it this way, but fear is the absence of trust. When we don’t trust the quality of our studying, we are afraid to take a chemistry test. When we don’t trust physics and Boeing, we don’t get on airplanes. When we don’t trust people, we are afraid to invest ourselves in friendships and relationships. When we don’t trust God… nothing else works.

My gracious Father knows that fear is a major issue, so He talks about it a lot in the Bible. There are hundreds of references dealing with fear, worry, anxiety- all different heads of the same monster. Here are a few to implement:

(2 Tim 1:7 – KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Fear NEVER comes from God. He gives us a spirit of power (yes I can do what He gives me to do) a spirit of love (loving others is the key to carrying out the mission) and a sound mind (thinking clearly and truthfully about ourselves and our situation.)

(Psalm 118:6) The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

That’s IS. Present tense. Right now. Count on it. Not “I hope He’s with me”, or “He might be if…” If I get the IS part, the ” I will not be afraid” part is a piece of cake. And that’s GOD with me. What can a man do to frustrate the purposes of Almighty God? Nothing… (Why don’t I remember that?)

(1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

GOD IS PERFECT LOVE. He defines it. He loves me perfectly and so seeks only my best interest. Granted His definition of ‘my best interest’ and mine often clash, but that’s my lack of trust popping up again. His perfect love carries an eternal perspective that I can’t always see or wrap my mind around.

This is one of those lessons the teacher needs more than the students. God called me to go forth and conquer, not stay home and whimper.

Sanctified Dishes

By Paula

It’s Friday! What is it about Fridays? They just feel different. This Friday, it’s going to rain all day, but the more it rains, the more likely we are to get work done on Alan’s bedroom. (It also means no baseball practice, but that’s a whole different issue.)

Yesterday we left off here:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-1)

Sanctified, useful and prepared.

I have some dishes up in the corner of my attic, Christmas dishes, and every year, usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, I bring those dishes down and put them to use. After New Year’s, I pack them back for another year. In a sense, those dishes are sanctified, set apart for a specific purpose. If I chose, I could use those dishes in July. Or I could use them everyday. Either way, they are still set apart for a purpose, determined by the one who purchased them. I am set apart for a purpose determined by my Lord, who purchased me.

My dishes are useful. The bowls don’t leak. The plates hold the food. They do what they were designed to do. I was designed by my Father to function in the roles He assigns. And I’m suited for the role just like the bowl is suited for ice cream.

My dishes can be set apart and can be useful, but if they aren’t prepared- that is, clean and in the cabinet- I can’t use them. My kids have some old plastic dishes in their playhouse outside. The dishes are dirty, stained, and many are chipped and cracked. They are no longer useful. Truth is, they were no longer useful when they were relegated to the playhouse.

Now my nature is to be one of those dishes that gets used every meal, every day. But God in His wisdom knows that’s too much for me. He knows when and how to put me to work to accomplish His purposes and glorify Him. My responsibility is the stay prepared by keeping clean and being available.

One more point- what happens if one of my Christmas dishes is used for dirt in the yard? It’s still a Christmas dish that I bought, but I’m going to have to bring it inside and run it through the dishwasher on the super-hot “sterilize” cycle before I’d consider using it again. It’s the same way with me. If get out and get myself dirty, God has to put me through some really hot water before He can use me again.

How to Glory

By Paula

Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24)

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-1)

My sweetie got home yesterday after a trip to Findlay (Alan thought his daddy was in Finland.) He had a good trip, made two presentations, one of which was very well-received, and that gave him an understandable boost. Who doesn’t like to be recognized for hard work, and a job well done? The trick is not allowing that to degenerate into prideful egotism. So how do we let go of that desire for encouragement, affirmation and attention (and I admit, mine is pretty strong) in favor of humble submission to God?

1. Revere God. The verses in Jeremiah outline what we should get excited about- our great God who demonstrates His lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. I know the Lord, and He reveals Himself to me, wants to be known.
2. Examine my motives. Why am I doing this? Is it to show off my wisdom, or talent? (I don’t have much might.) Is it to get rich? (I’m laughing. I may be naïve, but I do know enough about the publishing industry, to know this is not the ticket to vast wealth.) My heart’s desire is to show how practical, how vast in scope God’s word is.
3. Cleanse myself. Technically, I can’t cleanse myself, but I can be diligent about asking for forgiveness and cleansing from God. His Word is key to becoming conformed to the image of Christ.

Another time we’ll look at sanctified, useful and prepared…

Study Tip: Making Lists

Fighting Fear

Sanctified Dishes

How to Glory

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series