Verse of the Day 3/1

Through the Bible - Exodus 29-30, James 1

 

Good morning,

Over the past couple of years we've heard a lot about "stimulus", mostly relating to how to get our economy back on track.  Much had to do with injecting money into programs and short term projects.  So far, in the opinion of most, it has done little to change the long term outlook.

 

How many of us need some spiritual stimulus to get us back on track?  This kind of stimulus involves more than being injected with a little bit of spiritual adrenaline.  It is more about transformation which happens on the inside to fundamentally change our lives.

 

Martin Luther encouraged Christians to "preach the gospel to yourself every day".  For today's verse we'll go to Paul's letter to Timothy, a young pastor in need of some encouragement.

 

2 Timothy 4:2-3 (New International Version, ©2010) 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.

 

While it is given to a young pastor regarding his preaching, it can also be applied to ourselves as we read, meditate on, study, and apply what we've had preached to us from the Word into our lives.

 

We should be encouraged and challenged by the Word.  This doesn't often happen by casual reading.  Spend some time on a passage or a few verses.  Read them again.  Consider how the verses relate to the gospel, to Jesus, to me?

 

Doing so on a regular basis will be more than a stimulus, it will, through the power of and grace of God, transform your life.  Reading is the starting point absorbing it and applying it will make the difference.

 

Don't look for what you want to hear, to satisfy your itching ears, instead let the Word correct, rebuke and encourage (you) —with great patience and careful instruction. 

 

Colossians 3:16 (New King James Version) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Blessings,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
mikesvotd.blogspot.com

2 Timothy 4 (New King James Version)

2 Timothy 4   Preach the Word

 ¹ I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.