SIN ALLOWED IN GRACE?

 

SIN ALLOWED IN GRACE?

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. NLT

There are those amongst us who seem to think it is alright to accept sin in our midst. There is a very loose attitude about sin because we are a people of grace and not law. We don't get too concerned about sinful practices, after all it is a matter between the individual and God. We tend to accept sin so that we don't disrupt the peace. Right conduct before God is preached and taught, but often not held up as a mandate for living. We know better and should do better.

Jesus did not die for our sins to let us get by with sinning. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin. He forgives us to purify us. Jesus does not take a neutral stand on sin. He hates it. It is what put Him on the cross. Our sin is what Jesus had to take upon himself, even though He had never known sin before. Sin is the only thing that can drive and keep Jesus away from us.

It is our Lord's will that we would be totally committed to doing what is right. My question for you today is, "How committed are you to doing what is right before God?" It is not okay with God for us to tolerate sin in our lives. God has revealed His grace to us so that we would turn away from sin and its pleasures and live godly lives before Him. Even though we are surrounded by sinful pleasures, we dare not indulge in them. Exercise self-control, live rightly before God, be devoted to Him alone, and live in anticipation of the coming of Christ to take us home.

Is sin allowed in grace? Not in God’s eyes. All sin is repulsive to Him and worthy of His wrath against it.

CORRECT TEACHING

 

CORRECT TEACHING

Titus 2:8 Let your teaching be so correct that it can’t be criticized. Then those who want to argue will be ashamed because they won’t have anything bad to say about us. NLT

It is imperative for our own souls and for the sake of others that our teachings be correct and above reproach. It is so easy to fail at this. We don’t study well enough and pray over what we study to get a proper knowledge of the Word. We often let our own ideas determine how we interpret and apply the Scriptures. We readily accept as true what others tell us without examining the Word for ourselves to see if it is true. We tend to not think too deeply about what we read. We do not ask the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking as we think over the Word. We tend to not put Scripture into the context of Scripture for a proper understanding of it. In other words, we don’t invest the time we need in the Word to make sure our teaching is correct. We are spiritually lazy.

It is good for the soul to make time for public and private Bible studies. We can learn much from others by sitting under their teachings. We can learn much from the thinking of others as the Word is discussed. We can examine our understanding in light of the understanding of others and correct our thinking as needed. It is good for us to discover how the Word is being applied in the lives of others. The more time we spend in fellowship over the Word, the better chance we have of getting it right.

As good as public Bible studies are for us, we dare not excuse ourselves from our own time with the Lord in His Word. It is imperative for the health of the soul to be alone with the Lord and let Him speak to you through His Word.

Correct understanding of the Scriptures leads to correct application which diffuses the arguments of those who would seek to find fault with us. Let the Lord guide you in all your thinking as you learn from the Scriptures that which is true.

RESPONSIBLE TEACHING

 

RESPONSIBLE TEACHING

Titus 2:6-7 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely in all they do. And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. NLT

We need to take responsibility when teaching others. We need to encourage those who follow us to live wisely in all they do. One of the biggest problems that we have today is that our young people have not been taught the essential things that produce wisdom in them and have not been encouraged to seek them. Most young people have pretty much had to fend for themselves when it comes to things that really matter in life.

We need to take responsibility for the kind of an example we are setting for those who follow us. Our young people learn best by watching those who are teaching them. They are perceptive and know by watching whether or not we really believe what we teach. Consistency in living a godly life is essential for our teachings to have any value at all. When what we say is backed up by what we do, others take note and are encouraged to believe that they can do it too.

We only have one chance to influence future generations to follow the Lord. We must not shirk our responsibility before God. How we live not only affects our own souls, it affects the souls of all those who follow us. Let us strive to always be encouragers of the faith of others and not discouragers. Let us be careful how we live. We are influencers of others, whether we think we are or not.

RIGHT LIVING AND TEACHING

 

RIGHT LIVING AND TEACHING

Titus 2:1 But as for you, promote the kind of living that reflects right teaching. NLT

The Apostle Paul is telling Titus to promote a lifestyle that is consistent with sound doctrine. He is saying that if we are not living godly lives then we aren't living what comes from God. If we are teaching and preaching a lifestyle different than holy living, we are not living right with God. There is no middle ground where we can justify not doing what we know God says for us to do. If we are not living holy lives, we are not living in obedience to God, and we are not in fellowship with God.

The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. All of the Scriptures are inspired and useful for our living. And the Word clearly commands us to live holy lives.

It is not easy to always do what we know God commands us to do. Holy living is indeed a very difficult life to live because we are living in a sin-infected world with, by nature, sinful hearts. We are naturally drawn to sin and the only way we can resist it is to willfully seek Christ's help. We must determine in our hearts and minds to do what is right before God instead of what our flesh desires. We must resist the temptation to compromise what we know is right. We must keep our eyes fixated on Christ and not on the allurements of sin. It takes great determination to do what is right before God and no one does it perfectly all the time.

The key to practicing what we preach is to keep our souls saturated with God's Word and spend much time in close communion with God. We must read the Word of God with open hearts and minds, ready to listen and learn from God. We must desire to grow in holiness. We must refuse to let things into our hearts and minds that are not beneficial for our soul's well-being.

The reward for living a life that reflects right teaching is being richly blessed by God both here and in heaven. Our failure to do it is the absence of God's fellowship and blessings both now and forever.

IS EVERYTHING PURE?

 

IS EVERYTHING PURE?

Titus 1:15-16 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are defiled. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. NLT

Actions put meaning to words. How we live matters. How we live reflects what is in our hearts. For those who have pure hearts, all that they do and say will be consistent with their purity. It doesn’t mean we will be perfect little angels, but it does mean we will consistently live what we profess to believe. The character of Christ will be evident in our lives. Our words and actions will be honorable and pleasing to Him.

The issue is what does purity mean as it is fleshed out in our lives? I believe it means a lot of things and probably will vary from one person to the next, but one thing that all pure people have in common is the desire to live submissively and obediently to Christ. It is wanting to be like Christ in character and nature. It is striving to win the battle over sin. It is staying connected to Christ at all times. It is understanding that apart from Christ ruling our hearts, we can do nothing that is pleasing and acceptable to Him.

A pure heart has a real problem with sin. Sin is repulsive and an effort is made to avoid it. A pure heart is moved to repentance when one stumbles and falls into sin. It is guilt ridden over sin. It is always looking to be more holy before God.

If you don’t have a pure heart, everything you say and do is defiled in God’s eyes. You may look good on the outside, but inside you are a mess. A defiled heart is an outcast; there is no place in God’s Kingdom for him. No matter how it may appear, all the work of a defiled heart is worthless and does nothing good for the soul. A pure heart makes a man good and acceptable to God.

Is everything pure in your life? Does your thought life reflect heart purity? Do your actions flow from a pure heart? Do you strive to keep your heart pure by repenting when you tarnish your purity? Are you spending adequate time alone with the Lord daily to keep yourself pure?

TEACH AND SHOW

 

TEACH AND SHOW

Titus 1:1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. NLT

Paul had a special calling from God as an apostle to the churches. God sent him to the churches to bring people to faith, build them up in the faith by teaching them truth, and show them how truth should be lived out in life.

You and I have similar callings; we are to bring people to the faith, teach them truth, and show them how to live godly lives. In order to bring people to faith, we must first know that it is real, that it works. We don’t know faith works by just talking about it; we must live it.

In order to teach the truth, we must know the truth and the only way we are going to know the truth is to be students of God’s Word. There is much confusion about what God says simply because we don’t read it, study it, and prayer over it.

Not only do we need to tell others the truth, but we must show them how it is lived out in our daily lives. Great harm is done to the cause of Christ and the faith of many by those who do not live what they proclaim. No one is going to perfectly live godly lives, but all of us who know the Lord must strive to live godly lives. If others cannot see Christ in and through us, what we say will not matter.

Paul told the church at Corinth to follow his example in following Christ. We should so reflect Christ in our lives that others will be attracted to Him and want to know more about Him. Godly living opens the door for the Gospel to be shared and faith begun in lives.

What kind of an example of a godly person are you? Remember, godliness is revealed when you are all alone as well as when you are around others. Are you striving to be consistently holy at all times? Are you?

OUR HEAVENLY CROWN

 

OUR HEAVENLY CROWN

II Tim. 4:6-8 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me---the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return. NLT

I don't know about you, but I live with these verses in mind. I don't know when the Lord is going to take me home to heaven. Until He does, I must continue to do what He has given me to do. Each day I live draws me closer to that day. I know that what lies before me in heaven is the prize the Lord has prepared for me, and I want to be able to accept it in humility knowing I have finished well. The crown of righteousness awaits all who faithfully live righteously here on earth. I will get my crown.,

We are in a fight, and it would do well for us to never forget it. The life of a Christian is not an easy life. Satan is a bully, and he is always looking for a fight. He is stubborn and does not take no for an answer. He relentlessly keeps throwing punches at us in an attempt to knock us down and out. He is determined to win the battle for our souls.

In order to fight a good fight, we must train well, study his moves, and plan well our defenses and attacks. We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to but instead recognize that we must rely on the Lord to help us fight our battles.

We must never give up in this race of life. It is a marathon, and faithfulness to Christ is an absolute must until we cross the finish line.

Earthly crowns fade, are forgotten over time, and sometimes are even taken away from us. Our heavenly crown is eternal and will never be forgotten or taken away from us.

What awaits us is the completion of our salvation. We will be able to stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We will join all those who are faithful to Christ when He comes for the Church and go home with Him to heaven.

How are you doing? Are you fighting a good fight? Are you running a good race? Are you confident that when the Lord does come for you that He will find you to be faithful and that you will be ready to go to heaven with Him?

REMAIN FAITHFUL

 

REMAIN FAITHFUL

II Tim. 4:7 I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  NLT

      Do you like a good fight?  Most people would prefer not to fight.  We teach our children to settle their differences in other ways because we learned the hard way that when people fight, someone will get hurt.  We knew that there was a good possibility that it would be us as a child growing up fighting, and it often was us that got hurt.  We now see fighting as a sign of immaturity.  There are better ways to resolve conflicts than fighting.  Yet, fighting is a normal part of living.

      There have been wars amongst men for centuries.  We don’t like it but accept it as part of life on earth.  Power drives people to want to conquer those who don’t like them, threaten them, or are weaker than they are.  A vast horde of humanity lose their lives because of war.  Sometimes war takes on physical form and sometimes it is verbal in nature.

      Great damage is done when people fight each other with words.  Psychological and emotional scars are left that plague the soul for years to come if not resolved.  Some people are very good at fighting with words. 

       When words are written rather than spoken, the potential is there for great damage to be done because the reader does not know the meaning behind the words.  Assumptions can be made that were never intended.  Be careful what you say to another when you write.

      There is also a fighting that takes place over the soul of man.  There is a constant battle everyone fights over the integrity of his soul.  Every believer constantly is at war with the forces of evil.  No one can escape this fight.  If you are not in a spiritual war, you are not living rightly with God. 

       Live in such a way that you can say with Paul that you have fought a good fight, that you have finished what you started when you came to Christ, that you have been faithful to the end.  Don’t let Satan get the upper hand; resist him daily.  It’s not an easy fight to win, but it is a very winnable fight when you live submissively and obediently to Christ.

      You won’t win if you do not finish.  There may be many obstacles along the way, but you must finish what you have started.  There is no timeouts in the race.  Keep plugging away and you will get to the finish line and great will be your reward in heaven.

DON'T FEAR SUFFERING

 

DON’T FEAR SUFFERING

II Tim. 4:5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you. NLT

Let's think clearly about this verse for a moment. Most who are reading this today do not suffer much for the Gospel. Things are changing daily in our world and it is becoming more and more common, but for the most part, there is little real suffering going on in the Church. Because most of us have lived free from suffering, we fear it and don't appreciate its value to our faith. We do, however, seem to have fear when it comes to sharing our faith and bringing others to Christ.

Many of us are way too concerned about what others will say or do. We remain silent because we don't want to be put on the spot, ridiculed, or perhaps harmed because of our witness. Some do not share their faith because they don't want to come across as foolish due to their lack of Biblical knowledge. They fear being asked questions they can't answer. There are some who know they don't live what they claim to believe and fear they will be called hypocrites.

Paul admonishes Timothy to not let fear stop him for doing what the Lord wants him to do. We are to complete the ministry God has given us to do. No matter what it is, we must step out in faith and simply do it. We must believe what we proclaim about God being with us and enabling us. We must display our love for the Lord by serving Him. What matters is not the momentary consequences of our obedience, but the eternal consequences if we don't. God richly rewards those who obey Him and serve Him in what He has given them to do.

Do not leave your ministry undone; complete it. Don’t give up before you are done. Quitters do not honor Christ. He has given you a task to do. Do it until He gives you peace that your task is done.

PEOPLE WON'T LISTEN

 

PEOPLE WON’T LISTEN

II Tim. 4:3-4 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. NLT

It is here, right now. People for the most part do not listen to right teaching, nor do they want to. They buy into all sorts of false teachings, but refuse to change their minds about Biblical truth. They will listen to those things which make them feel good and do not require much out of them. They want teachings that suit their thinking. They want others to do their thinking for them.

People want teachers who will tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Those who stick to the Word of God and do not compromise it for the sake of the people they serve are getting fewer and fewer. People want an easy road to heaven and gravitate towards those who promise it. They want to hear those things that excite them instead of those things which challenge and change them. People are quickly becoming anemic as far as holy living is concerned. They are quick to chase after anything but the truth of God's Word.

We need to be very discerning in these last days. We need to be sure we examine the things we hear with the Word of God. We need to listen with critical ears letting only the Word of God be the standard whereby we live. We need to be wise enough to dismiss and not pay attention to those who teach another Gospel. We need to hold them accountable if they are in our churches. We must not give people what they want; we must give them what they need in order to be made holy, a people after God's own heart.

We are certainly in the last days of life as we know it on earth. It is more important now than it ever has been for us to take charge of our minds and souls. Do not let anything in that cannot be supported by God’s Word. Your soul is at stake.

PREACH THE WORD

 

PREACH THE WORD

II Tim. 4:1-2 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus---who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. NLT

You do not have to be a preacher in order to preach the Word. Each of us has a responsibility to tell others what God says. We are obligated by God to share what we know and to live what we know. God will hold us accountable for our witness, or lack thereof. We talk about what excites us. We want others to know what really matters to us. We are not shy about sharing our opinions on earthly matters so why are we reluctant to talk about our faith?

Our failure to talk about our faith and God’s Word is a testimony to how little we really value God and His Word. If we value our relationship with God as we ought, we cannot fail to share it with others. Period.

We need to be persistent in our witness. It's not a one-time deal. We easily back off when someone rejects our testimony and we don't bring it up again. Instead, we ought to be determined to continue to be a witness for Him. We don't know when the heart is ready to hear. We don't know when the time is favorable or not. We are not knowledgeable or wise enough to know when it's "the" right time. Therefore, we must continue to share our faith whenever we have opportunity. Sometimes are more uncomfortable than others, but we should never let our comfort dictate our witness. The readiness of the soul for eternity is of greatest importance in life, and our witness may be the turning point for someone. Tell others what God has done for you. Tell them what God says.

Preach the Word. Preaching requires preparation. In order to preach well, you must know your material well. Good teaching comes from proper understanding, and proper understanding comes from good connections with God and the study of His Word. If we know what we are talking about, we can confidently witness with patience. We can instruct others with a clear understanding of God's directives. We can correct, rebuke, and encourage others with boldness because we know that it is the mind of God and not our own.

I solemnly urge you today to be a preacher, a proclaimer of God's Word. People you know desperately need to hear about your faith in Christ, our Savior. People desperately need to know about Jesus, our Lord. Who will tell the people in your life if you don't?

The best preachers and teachers of the Word are not paid to do it. They are far more effective witnesses to the lost because they have a personal relationship with them. Let others know your Savior through you.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

 

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

II Tim. 3:16,17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. NLT

Why should we spend time in God's Word? Why should we spend energy trying to understand it? Why does it matter how well we are acquainted with it? The bottom line is if we don't make God's Word a priority in our lives, we will never know what pleases God, and we will never grow up and become mature in our faith. Without a good understanding of God's Word, we will always struggle with sin in our lives and never be properly prepared to serve the Lord.

Also, if we believe that God has inspired the Scriptures, then it becomes to us of highest importance. If God matters to you, you will want to know what He has to say. He has inspired all of His Word given to us. Therefore, all Scripture is important to us. There is no part of Scripture that God does not want us to know.

Very few of us can say that we have read through the Scriptures in its entirety. We claim we don't have the time. Yet we find the time to read books, newspapers, and magazines we like. We have time to watch movies, sports, and TV. We have time to engage in all kinds of recreational activities. We have time for those things which matter to us.

It has always baffled me how so many of us think that a scattered verse here and there is sufficient for our needs. There is a severe lack of knowledge in the Church about truth because we don't read or study our Bibles. We don't value what God has spoken to us like we ought. We claim to believe it, but don't really know what it says because we have never read it. We are easily thrown for a loop when we encounter false teachings because we are not into the Word like we must be. We never grow very much into holiness because we don't hear what God says through His Word.

To me, it only makes sense that if you want to know the truth, you go to the source of the truth. People are Biblically illiterate, both in and outside of the Church. An alarming number of people who have been raised in the Church struggle with basic truths from the Bible, where to find books of the Bible, what is sin, whether hell is for real, etc.

God gave us His Word for us to open, study, and apply to live—not to sit on our shelves and gather dust. An unopened Bible does the soul no good. Get into the Word and it will get into you and help you to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God.

ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED

 

ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED

II Tim. 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. NLT

All is a key word in this passage of Scripture. All means all. There is nothing in God’s Word that is not inspired by God. There is no part of it that is not useful to us for our spiritual growth. There is much we can know and understand, and there are some things that are beyond our ability to grasp. It all is given to us by God so that we can become a holy people before Him. If we dismiss or neglect any part of it, we are losing out on valuable lessons the Lord wants us to learn. We must read the Word with a clear understanding that God is the author of it. We must read it with the intent of learning what God wants us to learn and apply to life.

Because God is the author of the Scriptures, it is powerful and effective. Read it with an open heart; it leads us into godliness. It reveals to us our sin and leads us into repentance. If we are not often led into repentance when we read it, then we are not reading it correctly. If it doesn’t challenge us to a deeper walk of faith, we are not reading it correctly.

A humble heart before God who really wants to please God will consistently read and study the Scriptures. It is impossible to please God and ignore His Word. He uses His Word to teach us that which is true and to prepare us for effective service. He uses His Word to equip us for every good thing He desires for us to do. He uses His Word to help us when we falter or doubt. He uses His Word to keep us focused on Him and heavenly things instead of the evil of this world.

When we are not saturated by the Word of God, we mess things up pretty good. God cannot bless the work of those who do not let the Word guide them.

REMAIN FAITHFUL

 

REMAIN FAITHFUL

II Tim. 3:14-15 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. NLT

A couple of things we need to focus on from these verses. First of all, it is important for us to remain faithful to that which we have learned about the truth. Paul is not speaking about false teachers, he is talking about those teachers who have proven their trustworthiness to teach. There are a lot of people teaching things that simply are not true. All teaching must be backed up by Scripture and Scripture never contradicts itself. We must not listen to that which is not truth. Remain faithful to sound Biblical teaching.

All truth points to He who is truth, Jesus. Salvation in and through Christ alone is the heart of all Scripture. God points us to life in Christ, a life that is consistent with the character of Christ. We take on Christ in us and our lives must reflect that.

If what you are being taught does not point to Christ or is not backed up by God's Word, get away from it as quickly as you can. Run away from false teachings because if you don't, you will soon be unable to recognize that which is truth. Don't let your children be exposed to false teachings. You must take responsibility for what your children hear. If you don't, when they get older, they won't recognize truth when they hear it.

Remaining faithful to Biblical teachings is absolutely essential to healthy souls. Remaining faithful to Christ is absolutely essential for a healthy soul. If you are unfaithful to either the written or living Word, you are in danger of hellfire.

TRUSTWORTHY TEACHERS

 

TRUSTWORTHY TEACHERS

II Tim. 3:14-15 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. NLT

This is an interesting statement that the Apostle Paul made to Timothy. They did not have available at that time the New Testament writings. Timothy’s teacher was Paul. Paul was absolutely certain that what he had taught Timothy was the truth. He had personally been guided by the Holy Spirit. He was trustworthy and he had proven it time and time again. What he declared was backed up by what was written in the Old Testament writings. Timothy was raised in a godly home and knew that what he had learned was true.

The result of having been raised in a godly home where the Word was taught and lived was that Timothy gained the wisdom he needed for salvation. The Spirit of Christ took the Word and implanted it into Timothy’s heart and he grew up to become a leader in the church.

We must never minimize the importance of sowing the seed of God’s Word whenever we can. You don’t know who will hear the Word, receive it, and be saved. It is equally important that we ourselves remain faithful to the Word we have been taught. As we mature in faith we may discover different ways to understand and apply it for ourselves, but we must never let the Word slip away from us.

Like Paul, we should be so tuned into the Spirit that we can know for certain that we are on track in our knowledge and understanding of truth. We should be able to confidently tell others to listen to us for we can be trusted with telling the truth. When we are faithful to the Word, the Lord will use us for His glory and honor.

Trustworthy teachers don't just happen. They are taught well, study well, and live well the Gospel.

POWERLESS RELIGION

 

POWERLESS RELIGION

II Tim. 3:5 They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that. NLT

The church is full of religious people. There are a lot of people who believe in their heads the Gospel message. They preach and teach truth. They act well in the church. They have all the appearances of being genuine followers of Christ. They even are “good” people outside the church building. Yet, most people in the church have a very real problem; they reject the power that could make them godly.

Godliness is not an easy thing to accomplish. It takes a lifetime of work. It requires us to be faithful students of God’s Word, faithful in prayer and faithful in our application of what the Lord teaches us. Godliness can never be obtained by human effort alone. We must allow the Lord to have His rightful place in our lives. We must live humbly before Him and obey Him in all things. We must be willing to let the Spirit change the way we think and live. We must not resist the promptings of the Spirit to move closer to God. We must never grow complacent in faith. We must always be growing as we yield to the Lord’s working in our lives.

The admonition of Paul to stay away from religious people is a hard thing to do. Most of the people we know are religious. So, is Paul saying to avoid the people of the church? I don’t think that is what he means. What Paul is trying to get us to see is that we should not have close connections to people who are not going anywhere spiritually. We need to be close to those who will help us and not hinder us in our pursuit of godliness. We need people who will push us and not drag us down. We need to be with people who are striving to be godly in their own lives. Godliness is mandated by God for all believers and those who are not pursuing it are living in sin.

It is not a message we want to hear, but it is what God says over and over again in His Word. Anything less than holiness of heart is not acceptable to God. Christ makes us holy and that holiness is then seen in how we live in every aspect of our living.

No matter how “spiritual” you may be, if Christ is not your Lord, you are not right with God. Any effort to make it to heaven without Christ’s help is a powerless religion. You will fail miserably.

 

ARGUMENTS LEAD TO FIGHTS

II Tim. 2:23 Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. NLT

Fighting over words is foolishness. Only those who are immature will get sucked into it. Arguing with someone you don't agree with accomplishes nothing but creating a rift between you. We get emotional with our convictions and allow our emotions to drive us instead of our heads. We tend to forget that we will not convince anyone of anything while they have their defenses up. We dig our heels into the sand and will not listen when we feel our convictions are being threatened. It is not our role to convince anyone of truth. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and He can't do that when we have stirred up the pot.

No one has perfect knowledge, not even you. We now see through a glass darkly. Because of our limited capacity to understand the things of God, we will always be able to learn new things. Some things we think we know are refined over time as our maturity in Christ grows. No matter how well-grounded we may be, we learn new things as the Spirit works in our lives. He leads us to sometimes change our thinking on things. So, we need to be careful how much we hold onto in our understanding of truth. There are some things that are undeniable and true for all believers for all time, and there are some understandings of truth that the Spirit changes in us as we grow in Christ.

It is foolish to hold onto and argue about things that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. The Church has been divided over details for centuries, and you or I are not going to settle the issues. We must realize that there are reasons why there are so many different church bodies worshiping the same Lord we do but in different ways. If there was no room for different understandings, the Lord would have fixed it a long time ago.

Wisdom would teach us to let those things go which are not essential to faith. Hang onto your convictions with an open heart and mind. Listen to the Spirit if He is changing your thinking on some things. But, whatever you do, don't be argumentative over things. It will not change anyone, and it will only prevent you from having godly fellowship with others. Agree to disagree agreeably on non-essential matters and let the love of Christ bind you together as one to the glory and honor of our Lord.

Arguing leads to fighting over words. Fighting causes divisions in the church. We argue, fight, and divide over things that don’t matter, and it keeps us from fulfilling our mandate to go into all the world and make disciples—not of ourselves, but of Christ. As far is it is humanly possible to do, strive to live at peace with fellow believers and work together for the glory and honor of Christ until He comes.

RUN FROM LUST

 

RUN FROM LUST

II Tim. 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. NLT

Lust is anything we crave outside of our normal appetites. It is something that easily can control us and cause us to do things harmful to ourselves and others. Uncontrolled lust is destructive to the soul, every time.

When we are young we are especially prone to be driven by lust. Seldom are we mature enough in our spiritual lives to gain control over it. It is one of Satan's most powerful tools for driving people away from faith. Some people never grow up and allow lust to drive their lives. They develop sinful habits that keep them captive and away from God.

We will never get to the point where we don't have to be aware of lust's power. We will always battle the desire to have what is not ours. We will always battle discontentment. When you are faced with lustful passions, run away from them. Get away from them as fast as you can. Don't put yourself in a situation where lust can control you. Take the power of lust to destroy seriously.

Instead of focusing on those things in life you can't have, focus on those things you can have, those things which make you want to do what is right. Spend your energy on those things which help you grow more like Christ. Feast on the riches of grace and the fellowship of those who can help you live a pure life. You are the only one who can resist Satan and seek God for you. Which will it be for you today? Will you cave in and pursue your lusts, or will you say no and pursue godliness?

PURSUE GODLINESS

 

PURSUE GODLINESS

II Tim. 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. NLT

Run; don’t walk from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Don’t pause to think about it, just run. If you take the time to think about it, it may be too late to get away. Make up your mind beforehand that you will not hang around where you will be tempted to lust.

Follow anything that makes you want to do what is right. Fill your mind and heart up with those things that stimulate your desire to become holy and pleasing to God. He who lacks a passion for spiritual growth lacks it because he chooses to seek after sinful things rather than godly things.

Pursue those things that stimulate your soul and cause you to want God’s presence in your life. Faith must be an action verb in your life; you live it and not just talk about it. Love must be an active force in your life. You must choose to love God, others and yourself on a daily and consistent basis. Peace must be your goal as you relate to God and others. Fellowship with others who are seeking God with pure hearts is essential for your spiritual well-being.

Living a life that pleases God doesn’t just happen. It takes a commitment of heart. It requires work and sacrifice. It is a way of life that never changes. We must seek to be right with God always. He is our primary focus in life. Losing your focus on Christ is a slow death for your soul.

Pursue godliness and run from all wickedness. Do this and you will live in victory in Jesus. You will feast on the riches of His grace and bask in His love, both now and forever.

FOUNDATION FOR LIVING

 

FOUNDATION FOR LIVING

II Tim. 2:19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his” and “Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness.” NLT

There is no foundation worthy of building our lives upon other than God’s truth. A life built on any other foundation is weak and will crumble in the midst of the storms of life. It is imperative for a healthy walk with God to stay grounded in the truth of God’s Word.

The Lord knows who are His and who aren’t. We are easily fooled by the appearance of others. We cannot see the heart of man and so we must be very careful when we make judgments about their hearts. We can even fool ourselves about ourselves. Just because we live like a child of God, believe the Bible to be true, pray, and go to church doesn’t mean we are children of God. These things are important and should characterize a believer’s life, but they do not make us a child of God. A child of God is one who sincerely confesses his sin before Christ, asks Him for forgiveness, and then lives like it. No one will make it to heaven by bypassing the cross.

Those who are truly children of God will turn away from all wickedness. There will be an obvious changing of lifestyles, both publicly and privately. There will be conscious choices made daily to turn away from sin. There will be a desire to not sin. There will be consistency in the way he does what is right before God and shuns what is evil. There will be consistency in his desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

A child of God MUST turn away from all wickedness. He is compelled to do so because the Spirit is at work in him to make him holy. You cannot be a child of God and live in fellowship with Satan. You will hate sin and be determined to be a victor over it instead of a victim of it. God hates sin and knowing that motivates us to turn away from all wickedness.

CANCEROUS DISCUSSIONS

 

CANCEROUS DISCUSSIONS

II Tim. 2:16,17a Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. This kind of talk spreads like cancer. NLT

There's a lot to talk about isn't there? People talk about everything, nothing is too holy or degrading to express our opinions on. Some things are good for us to discuss, and some things are bad for us. Scripture reminds us over and over again to think about the things that edify us and draw us closer to God. We also are reminded that we speak what is in our hearts. If our heart is right with God, our talk with be alright with Him.

Any conversation that glorifies sin or degrades others is godless talk. Any conversation that just goes around in circles and goes nowhere is foolish talk. There are many good things to talk about that are not spiritual in nature and there is nothing wrong with it. But when our talk is governed by our sinful nature, we must take responsibility for it and allow the Lord to change us.

We know how fast word gets around. We like to repeat what we think we hear, whether we hear it right or not. We pass on what we think we heard as being gospel. We interject our own words and often change the intent of the original conversation. Each person who hears what has been repeated filters it through their own minds and passes it on. Before you know it, it's all over town and way off base from what was really said. Often this scenario happens at the expense of the original parties. Like cancer, it can destroy the reputation or character of innocent people.

Godless, foolish discussions are cancerous discussions. They eat away and destroy relationships. There is nothing good that comes from them and they should be avoided whenever they pop up. They only add fuel to the fire of negativity and they breed ungodliness.

So, heed today's advice. Watch your heart, mind, and tongue. Let the Spirit control you. Let Him guide you. Let Him teach you the things of God. Strive to let nothing but good and helpful things come out of your mouth. If you do these things, God will be well-pleased.

GODLESS DISCUSSIONS

 

GODLESS DISCUSSIONS

II Tim. 2:16 Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. NLT

If a spiritual conversation does not help to enhance spiritual understanding and growth, then avoid it. It is non-productive to debate Scripture simply because we know we are right on how we interpret it and we are not willing to see it any other way but how we have been taught and believe. We are defensive by nature and are not open to a different way of seeing things. It is best to not get into discussions that we are not willing to learn from. It is true within church circles and especially true in the world.

Non-believers who are more interested in picking a fight over truth rather than listening to it will never let truth lead them to godliness. It is a waste of time to try and argue people out of darkness. The only way godless people will ever come into the Light is through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Rather than get into discussions with them that go nowhere, we should pray for them and ask the Lord to convict them of sin.

Godless discussions are those where the mind shuts out any consideration of God. The ears may hear, but the mind doesn’t listen. It is futility at its best. No matter how convincingly truth may be presented, if the hearer doesn’t have ears to hear, it won’t get through. The heart is hardened and will do anything it can to deny the truth.

People will pay more attention to how we live than what we say. Godless discussions can be shut out and refuted, but living Christ-like lives cannot be. Unless our living backs up what we say, we will not be heard. People will respect what you say when they learn to respect your life.

SHAMELESS

 

SHAMELESS

II Tim. 2:15 Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT

It takes hard work to get to the point where you can correctly handle the Word of God. The Scriptures are not easy reading. You cannot read them like you might a novel or a newspaper. The mind and heart of God are very deep and require great effort on our part to even begin to understand them. The Spirit helps us to understand many things, but He never goes deeper or faster than what we can handle.

Much harm is caused by those who have a superficial knowledge of the Word. Many things are taken out of context and misapplied to suit personal tastes. Many times people will use the Word for their own advantage and purposes. Many things are taught that go contrary to the nature and heart of God. Many things spoken of by God are overlooked and never talked about. Many blessings of God are missed because of our ignorance or misuse of the Word.

We must commit ourselves to working hard at our quest for understanding of God, how we relate to Him, and how we relate to the world we live in. We are limited by our capacity to learn because we are human and not God, but we can do a much better job of it than we usually do. It takes a lot of hard work to become a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

How much effort do you put into growing in your understanding of the things of God? In an age in which many churches are cutting back on what they require of their people, we must be all the more diligent. We must take advantage of the many resources God gives us to learn. There is no valid excuse for us to be slothful in our efforts to be worthy servants of our Lord. Understanding never is gained by looking at a Bible that does nothing but gather dust between Sundays. A dusty Bible usually characterizes a worker who needs to be ashamed.

There are many things you won’t ever understand in the Word. There are going to be times in which you don’t correctly handle the Word, but never let it be because you did not put forth the effort to learn. Shameless are those who work hard to correctly know and handle the Word of God.

WORK HARD

 

WORK HARD

II Tim. 2:15 Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT

Hard work never killed anybody. It is good for the soul to work hard, especially as it pertains to your spiritual life. The harder you work at becoming a godly person, the more you will enjoy the riches of God’s grace. Only those who work hard meet with God’s approval. It takes great effort to overcome our sinful natures and live righteously before God. We must never think that we can coast and rest on our laurels. Satan relentlessly is waiting for us to relax so he can catch us off guard and attack us.

When we work hard on our relationship with God, it results in our working hard to serve Him. A hard worker for Christ will never be ashamed before Him. He will do what pleases the Lord. He will not be perfect, but he will become whom the Lord wants Him to be.

A hard worker handles correctly the Word of God. He is a student of the Word and becomes a good teacher of it. It takes much more than a casual reading of the Word to be able to handle it correctly. We must meditate on it and allow the Spirit of God to give us understanding of it. There is a need to know what God means in the heart of those who diligently are seeking Him.

There is no place in the Kingdom of God for laziness. We must always strive to do our best to be our best for Him who is the best. God approves of those who work hard at their salvation for He knows that it leads to godliness of heart.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves when we don’t have a workable knowledge of the Scriptures. It ought to shame us when we can’t in good conscience share our faith because we fail to make it work in us. We ought to be ashamed when our walk of faith does not back up our talk of faith. Work hard and God won’t be ashamed of you, and neither will you.

ARGUING: A WASTE OF TIME

 

ARGUING: A WASTE OF TIME

II Tim. 2:14 Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God's name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. NLT

Fighting over words is pointless and it causes far more harm than good. It is true in relationships and in our understandings of spiritual matters. We get defensive over what we believe to be true. Now, don't get me wrong. We must know what we believe, why we believe it, and be willing to defend it. However, arguing with each other accomplishes nothing except to drive a wedge between us. More fellowship is lost over spiritual arguing than probably anything else we do in church. We will never convince anyone of what we believe to be true by arguing with them. We get very defensive when we allow our emotions to drive our discussions. We don't let love drive us. We lose control of our thinking. Rather than growing in our understanding of truth through mutual edification, we ruin the fellowship we might have with each other.

There is a much better way than arguing to express our convictions. We need to open the Word up together with an open heart, willing to listen and learn. We may not be convinced, but we gain a different perspective and learn to value the work of the Spirit in others in their walk with Christ. The goal is for all of us to learn from Him how to live godly lives before God. It is His work to change one's perspective if it needs to change. It is His work to guide us into all truth.

Let us respectfully agree that we aren't all going to understand all of the Scriptures the same way, and that it is okay. As long as we rally together at the foot of the cross, we don't have to be in agreement on everything.

Let’s be honest with each other. Arguing over words is a waste of time and energy. We are not mandated to go out and convince others that we are right in our understanding; we are mandated to go out into the world and make disciples.

FIGHTING OVER WORDS

 

FIGHTING OVER WORDS

II Tim. 2:14 Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God’s name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. NLT

Paul wanted Timothy to remind the church that the most important issue in life is one’s relationship with Christ. Seeking Christ in His holiness trumps every other endeavor in life. He then wanted Timothy to intervene and stop the fruitless arguing going on in the church.

We don’t know what was being said to create such a ruckus, but evidently it was disrupting the fellowship of the church. People were taking a stand contrary to what others were taking. It probably had something to do with interpretation of how to best live out the faith. They didn’t have the written Scriptures that we do today, so it had to be more with practice than doctrine.

Or perhaps they were taking sides over basic doctrinal positions that were problem in the early Church regarding Jewish customs and Gentile believers. Many of the Jewish believers had a hard time accepting the fact that Gentile believers did not have to conform to the Jewish way of living. Whatever it was, there was a verbal sparring going on.

Fighting over words has plagued the Church ever sense its formation. The reason why the Church couldn’t stay together as one Church was because people simply couldn’t stay in fellowship with those who disagreed with them. The need to be right trumped the need to live rightly with each other. People have struggled with the concept of agreeing to disagree agreeably for centuries. We talk a lot about grace, but we are poor to practice it with those we don’t agree with.

If as much energy were to be spent living out faith in a lost world as we spend on trying to be right, we would revolutionize the world for Christ. Arguing over Scripture is useless and a waste of time and energy. Seldom will anyone be convinced they are wrong through argumentative discussions. We dig our heels in and won’t listen to anyone who disagrees with us. We let our emotions drive us and not reason. Arguing just drives people away from each other and often ruins the faith of those who observe it.

The love of Christ ought to bind us together and not tear us apart. When we get into an argumentative mindset, we are not being driven by the love of God. We are not living what we preach and unless we repent, all we will do is to damage or destroy the fellowship of the brethren that should be the way of life in the church.

The world is quickly slipping into hell and we are so busy arguing with each other in our holy huddles that we scarcely notice or care.

FOLLOW THE RULES

 

FOLLOW THE RULES

II Tim. 2:5 Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. NLT

We have our own ideas on how things should be done. Sometimes our ideas are in agreement with other people’s ideas and sometimes they are not. We tend to want to do things our way. Experience teaches us that when we follow the rules established by others who have already been where we are at and found them to work, we are better off. It is never a good idea to make up our own rules as we go along in life.

When we follow the Lord’s rules, we are following one who has the knowledge and wisdom to know what is best for us. He knows all the details of how to best live to get the best results. He knows the end from the beginning of all things and has established the guidelines for us to get there. He IS the way, and wise is he who does things His way. We cannot know God’s rules unless we read His rule book, the Bible, and study it well.

The rules of the Lord can be summed up simply in this: live a holy life before God. All that God desires for us to do is to be a holy people. A holy people are an effective witness for Him in the world. They are the movers and shakers of the Kingdom. They are the ones who get the work of the Kingdom done. They are the ones who are truly blessed by God.

Failing to become holy before God is lethal for the soul. God commands it for His children and all who fail to pursue it are disqualified for the race of life. Think about it. Paul makes it clear in I Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus is our wisdom, righteousness and holiness from God. Now if we are truly saved, we are made holy by Christ. If we are not living a holy life, then it is safe to say that we are not saved and ready for heaven.

It then behooves us to follow God’s rules for living and strive to be holy in every area of our lives. Everything we do should be characterized by holiness.

TEACH TO PASS ON

 

TEACH TO PASS ON

II Tim. 2:2 You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. NLT

The Gospel message was never meant to be hoarded. We are to learn it well from others and teach it well to others. We know the Gospel is true when we see it at work in others. It's not enough to just hear it preached and taught; we need to see it lived as well. When the two mesh together, we know indeed that it is true and necessary for us to live.

Paul mentions reliable witnesses. It is important that we listen to those whom we know are reliable. We need to be cautious when listening to people we don't know anything about in their personal lives. It is easy to be fooled by what people say, so as much as it is possible, strive to discern a person's reliability before ingesting what they say.

Once we learn what we need to know, we are to in turn pass it on to others who are trustworthy, people who are sincerely wanting to learn the truths of the Gospel. It is not possible for us to know another's heart, but we can usually tell whether or not a person really is interested in learning the truth. And if they do want to know what you know, you are responsible for passing it on.

Our goal should always be to keep the flame burning. It is essential for the cause of Christ to instill the Gospel message in each new generation. The more we pass it on, the more people will be brought into the Kingdom of God. Disciples make disciples.

Are you a hoarder of the Gospel message or, are you passing it on to others? Hoarders bear no fruit and the Lord warns us that those who bear no fruit will not make it to heaven. Teach those who will listen to pass it on for the glory and honor of Christ in the world.