SCRIPTURE: Jonah 1-4; 2 Timothy 2
2 Timothy 2:22-26
Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.
OBSERVATIONS: Paul, of all people, recommend that Timothy not be argumentative. Instead, he commends gentle listening and teaching with a cool head, firm and patient with those who refuse to obey. The change of heart is always possible.
APPLICATION: Joey, seek out those who are recalcitrant and work with them, encouraging them in their deliberations of the Father. Righteousness is not about being right, and commitments are more than “what we get out of it.” Diligently teach and correct — with a cool head.
PRAYER: God, grant me the wisdom to teach and correct, the patience to withstand resistance, and the courage to speak truth into situations that are far from it. For the sake of Christ I ask it. Amen.
Recent Comments