There are three verses that I want to touch on tonight that come from 2 Timothy chapter 3. Early today I was thinking about how I could relate the post that I was going to write to the frigid temperatures that we are all experiencing right now. I was really at a loss. I couldn't quite figure out how I was going to tie the two things together.
Again, and again I always seem to have some doubts about what I am going to write about and the Holy Spirit always gives me something. I don't know why I ever doubt. Every time I think I am stuck, I am given a new thought. That is a small example of God's faithfulness but a great one at that. God is faithful over and over again. If we just trust in God's faithfulness and never doubt our lives would be so much more peaceful. But maybe that is why we doubt sometimes, so that we can realize that peace that we can have through Christ.
If you stepped outside today, you experienced some of the coldest temperatures you ever have in your life. It's ridiculously cold. Even if you were inside standing beside a window, or sleeping beside a window like I have to, you were probably able to tell that it was freezing. One thing about this cold is that there is no escaping it. You could put on five coats, three hats, and two pair of gloves and you would still feel the cold. There was just nothing you do about it.
Much like you and I experiencing the freezing cold today, we as believers in Christ experience persecution whether we can help it or not.
"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12)
As believers, we all should want to live a godly life every single day, and because of that we will be persecuted. When we obey God and want to live for God we will be persecuted. We can't be surprised when people misunderstand, criticize, and even try to hurt us because of what we believe in and how we live. We can't ever give up. We must continue to live as we know we should with the understanding that God is the only one we need to please.
Persecution looks different to both you can me. We aren't all persecuted the exact same way. The people who persecute you are like a bunch of haters. But what do we do to the haters? We still have to love them.
On to the next one, did you know that the word of God was inspired?
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Simply put, the bible is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed his person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down his message for his people. This process is known as inspiration. The writers wrote down their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts. Although they used their own minds, talents, language, and style, they wrote what God wanted then to write. Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. Its words are entirely authoritative for our faith and lives. The bible is "God-breathed." Read is, and use its teaching to guide your conduct.
I mean how crazy is that? God had normal human beings like you and I write the bible with their own special talents and gifts while speaking to them through the Holy Spirit. If you don't feel like you have anything special about you, I can assure you that you are special and that God is using your special talents he has blessed you with for a purpose that you might not understand yet.
The whole bible is God's inspired word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our lives. The bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show you what is true and equip you to live for him.
How much time are you spending in the word? Reading it regularly to discover God's truth and to become confident in your life and faith. Reading the bible is one of the hardest things. For me I always put it on the back burner. I thought it took up to much time. I figured if I would pray before bed, that was enough Jesus time in my day. I spent years of my life doing that. I would read short devotionals because I was getting some scripture and certain things made more sense to me. I was taking a short cut and I didn't even realize it. I blog because I want you to get into your bible. The excitement I get opening my bible on a daily basis is a feeling that I want so many people to feel. I am overwhelmed by God's inspired word every time I open it. There are things you can learn from and apply to your life in the word of God more than anywhere else. Digging into the word of God on a daily basis changed my life.
I hope you were encouraged today by this post. I hope that you never give up. Understand that we will be persecuted, but that just comes with living a life fully for Christ Jesus. You are never the only one going through something tough, we all are. Also, the word of God is inspired! If you have never heard that before until today, I hope you find that to be very cool. I encourage you to dig into your bible. The word of God is the source of knowledge about how we can be saved.
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