Think It Over

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.  – 2 Timothy 2:7

Timothy was a young pastor working in Ephesus among the Gentiles. It was a big responsibility for the young man and Paul was one of several who took him under his wing to advise, encourage, and support his efforts. One of those responsibilities was that of a teacher. Paul acknowledges this. But he also tells Timothy to consider himself a “good soldier of Christ Jesus,” and also as an athlete and a hard-working farmer. Teaching, competing, soldiering, or farming… all of them take special knowledge and application of that knowledge. That was Timothy’s challenge. 

A lesser person might have wilted under the pressure. Ephesus, after all, was a hard-driven, highly-educated, wealthy, and idol-worshipping city. Paul told his young protegé that his preaching should be relevant, and strong on truth-telling. It would be God, after all, who would give him the understanding he needed, as he relied on God’s Word and the knowledge he had gained in his studies. 

Have you ever had someone ask you a question on the Bible or on living for Jesus that you could not answer? Most people have. Stay focused on the Gospel of Jesus rather than getting caught in the trap of an argument. Rely on the Lord to guide you, but do your part and be a student of the Word and devoted to prayer. As you intercede for others today, include young pastors who, like Timothy, need to remain faithful to the truth, not bending to those who seek to have their itching ears satisfied. Pray for greater truth-telling in America’s halls of justice, from local law enforcement to attorneys general, prosecutors, and judges in the nation’s courts.