Crazy Week

This comes under the banner of "sometimes I just sits" rather than the "sometimes I sits and thinks" banner.  We've had a crazy last week or so.  On Thursday (last week), we began the process of getting carpet in our house - the carpet layers arrived, took out the old and put in the new - that took till late Friday afternoon - at which time they let us know that they didn't have enough carpet to finish the job.  We called the warehouse - none of our particular carpet was in stock because it was a special order (just for us).  They would have to order more from the factory in Georgia!  A potential problem was then raised - they had died the carpet for us - if they didn't have extra of that "die lot" then there was no guarantee they could exactly match the carpet that was already laid in our house!!  A few phone calls and anxious moments later and we found that the factory still had some of the carpet from our "die lot" in the warehouse.  It was to be put on a truck and shipped Saturday - possibly arriving by Tuesday - so we live in a mostly carpeted house a few days.  At the same time, our son began tearing out our back deck and replacing old wood.  Hours of sawing and hammering going on.  He got that job to a stopping point by late Saturday and will resume the process Monday.  At the same time, the lawn mowing man came with his trailer and worked around all the debris in the yard.  At the same time, the internet went down so I called AT&T - they sent someone out.  He puttered around a while and discovered that the problem was not with anything (connections, etc.) inside so he would have to put in a work order for the "outside technician" to come.  Who would have imagined that these guys were so specifically trained that an inside technician couldn't check an outside line; and an outside technician wouldn't even come inside for a drink of water!!  So no internet on Thursday or Friday - outside technician would arrive sometime Saturday.  So now we have carpet guys, carpenter guys, lawn guys, inside internet guys, and outside internet guys buzzing around our house.  At the same time, some IHOPU students showed up at our house to get a couch and chair we are giving away.  At the same time, Debbie wants to go to Nebraska Furniture to get something to replace the furniture that was given away!  All of that in just 4 days!!  And we still have a deck to finish and more carpet to lay.  On top of all that, this week, the roofers will come to replace our roof that was damaged in a hail storm last April.  Whew, I'm tired just repeating all this.

2 Timothy: Lessons on the Word, Part 5

Today’s entry examines the 4^th problem Timothy faced and the solution the Word of God offers for that issue.

Timothy’s 4^th problem – a personal issue – was his propensity to loaf.  Apparently, Timothy constantly faced the human urge to loaf when he needed to be working.  Timothy needed to be alert to the constant need for self-discipline.  In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul’ charge to Timothy reveals much – “Be ready in season and out of season!”

The fact that Paul follows this admonition with his own testimony (2 Timothy 4:6-8) lets us know just how critical he believed it was to finish strong.  There is even convincing evidence that Paul – even in his last days, even in prison with no hope of release – continued to study. 

In 2 Timothy 4:13 Paul says, “When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.”  Paul still wanted his books and parchments!  Can you imagine that?  How much more could he learn?  What else would there be to teach?  Who would he teach?  And yet, even under the harsh and isolated conditions of prison, Paul continued to study the Word of God.  He had been marked by the Word and it would not let him rest. 

Timothy, like everyone, had a tendency to want to coast.  And that desire to coast will cause the fire to go out.  So Paul challenged Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to trust the Scriptures as being “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” NOW GET THIS, “so that the man of God may be COMPLETE, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

If Timothy would continue to search and apply the God-breathed Scriptures to his life, they would be the constant rudder or guide of his life.  The scriptures would keep his fire burning brightly all the way to the very end, ushering him into the presence of God with joy.

So what has this little study taught us?  Four Truths emerge. 

§  The Word of God will mark you and change the direction of your life. 

§  The Word of God will give you confidence and authority for your ministry. 

§  The Word of God will keep you focused so you can avoid distractions. 

§  The Word of God will make it possible for you to finish well. 

And all of that will keep the fire of the Spirit burning brightly in your life.  If we do not give ourselves completely to the Word of God, we will be in danger of being the people Paul described in Ephesians 4:14 – “… children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting …”

Some people argue that God is giving new revelation and that sometimes He will change the meaning of scripture to fit our times and needs.  They say that to keep us tied so tightly to the ancient word is to keep us from soaring to new heights.  They say that God is doing a new thing and we can’t afford to be held back by old understanding and meanings in His Word.

To that I say that the scriptures are like the string on a kite.  The kite will fly high only if it is tied to the string.  When the string is cut, the kite comes crashing to the ground – it may be free, but it isn’t able to accomplish that for which it was created.  The same is true of prophecy and dreams and visions – unless they are tethered tightly to the Word, they will never soar to the heights for which they were given, and they will cause those that have the dreams, visions, and prophetic words to crash.

The entire New Testament is filled with warnings against being tricked or deceived and the only way to guard against deception is to know the Word of Truth, and how to study it corrrectly.  As students of the Word of God, we want to know how to effectively read the Bible.

2 Timothy: Lessons on the Word, Part 4

In 2 Timothy, Paul is instructing Timothy in some of the areas of godly leadership.  One area in particular that we have been looking at is the power of God’s Word to help leaders address and overcome some specific problems.  For example, we have seen that when a person feels inadequate in any way – when they feel insecure or weak – studying the Word of God will put a mark of authority and confidence in their spirit.  Or, when a person encounters petty problems from the people he/she is called to lead, the Word of God gives clear direction and prevents being distracted by those petty problems.

That brings us to the third problem Timothy faced in keeping the fire of love and leadership burning in his heart:  outside influences.  People who are not even believers can be a distraction by attacking the internal desire to succeed. 

In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul urges Timothy to “flee youthful lusts.” 

Now while the word “lust” may have some moral implications, what it really deals with is the youthful desire to succeed according to the world’s standards.  It deals with worldly ambition.  There are the lusts to be financially successful and not really care how that wealth is accumulated.  It deals with compromise in order to get ahead or in order to be accepted by men or to gain more creature comforts.  This is basic lawlessness.

Can’t you hear non-believers saying to Timothy, “C’mon, man – why suffer when you don’t have to?  You can go to church…you can even be a worship leader – prayer leader – Bible teacher, and enjoy life, too.  You don’t have to be like Paul!  You don’t have to go to jail.  You don’t have to suffer persecution.  You can still be a Christian and be a respectable citizen of Rome.”

Those outside voices playing on the youthful lust to succeed can quench the fire inside.  Man, we live under grace!  No rules – lawlessness.

Then there are also those on the other end of the spectrum – the rigid legalists who keep all the religious rules, but because they have no love for anyone but themselves, they have no power.

That’s what 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is talking about. 

¹But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

These are the ones who deny that which gives power to godliness – they deny the presence of God – they know the rules, but they have never had that encounter which leaves its mark on the heart.  A person who is controlled by youthful lust wants to be accepted.  They will yield to those who say, “If you don’t keep the rules the way we interpret and teach them, you can’t join our group.”

Those are the two extremes that a Christian leader must avoid – lawlessness and legalism.  Paul even explains in 3:9 that those who go in either direction don’t grow; he says that “they will not make further progress.”  They will never gain that “wisdom that leads to salvation” according to 3:15.

So what is the solution to this problem?  How did Paul instruct Timothy to overcome this problem?  Once again, according to 2 Timothy 3:15-17, the solution is found in God’s Word.

¹⁵…from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Timothy was to draw from the deep well of Scripture that was already in him.  Timothy had a deep heritage of the faith.  There was more in him than he knew. 

Now for those who are just beginning their journey into the Scriptures, this should give some incentive to learn more and more.  The Bible is the only stable source of objective truth.  The Bible is the only way to develop the stability needed to avoid the youthful lusts of lawlessness and legalism.

In 2 Timothy 3:1, Paul says, “difficult times will come.”  Since that is indeed true, now is the time to store God’s word in your heart!  You can’t put it off!