PREACH THE WORD
Opening Prayer
Help me to hear Your words to me. May Your Word do Your work in my life.
Read 2 Timothy 4:1–8
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do you do when the truth of God’s Word cuts across your life?Paul charges Timothy to “preach the word” (2). It is a simple command, but with the enormous weight of verse 1 behind it, there is nothing that compares with its urgency.
Timothy is to preach when it is popular (in season) and when it is not (out of season). Timothy is to preach the Word in a way that it grows God’s people in a healthy direction, which will require great patience and care. Not only will it be tough, but it will also be opposed. People will seek to replace Timothy and his clear teaching with a chorus of alternatives who will tell them exactly what they want to hear (3).
This isn’t the promise of a quiet and comfortable life, but one of hardship requiring careful balance (5)—a task made all the more important because Paul is soon to die (6–8). So it will be left to Timothy to carry on this most vital task of preaching God’s Word in a way that grows God’s people.
Apply
When God (or a pastor/teacher) brings conviction in your life, do you ignore it, alter it, or align your life according to it? How do you feel about the person who tells you these truths from God’s Word?
Closing prayer
Father God, thank You for the gift of faithful preachers. Help them keep their heads in all situations.
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