Friday 3 Aug 2012

Friday Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-14

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1:7
7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Devotion:
There is nothing like preparing for a week of sharing God’s Word to focus your mind on the things of God and this week is no exception. The one thing that I have learned from writing devotions is that when others tell you how you should be studying God’s Word, it is not just making sure that you read the words but also that you spend time to think about what you are reading. God has given us His Word so that we can learn from it, not as a bed-time story! It is pretty obvious when you think about it, books are for learning as well as for enjoyment.

It is God who has given us that spirit that yearns for Him and longs to learn more about Him in every circumstance. Paul continued to strive to do what was right but he also made sure that he continued in God’s Word; he had learned from God’s Word by studying and prayer. Through that God gave him understanding and allowed him to experience the love that God wants us to find. God allowed His Son to come into this world to show us real love and to give us a greater understanding of what He has for us. He created us with these amazing minds and complex feelings; it takes time to learn.

It is not just by reading God’s Word that we gain this insight into His love for us and His will in our lives; it is also through gathering together with other Christians, praying together, supporting each other and fulfilling Christ’s direction to us. That direction from Christ is that we take God’s Word with us and share it. If we are not going to share it then others may well think that we are ashamed of the faith we claim to have; what could be worse than denying Jesus Christ?

It is Christ who has paid for our sin debt. It is Christ who has given everything for us. It is Christ who has shown us how much we mean to Him. It is Christ who has given us this holy calling that we shout about the gospel and not hide it under a bush. It is not because of what we have done or what we can do but rather what Christ has already done for us. Imagine if we did have to rely on what we could do instead? How many of us would fail before we even reached the first hurdle?

We owe Christ so much for all He has done. Let us therefore take His Gospel with us and share it with love – the love that He has given us.

Points to Ponder:
Are you a greater scholar than Paul?

Do you know why Paul bowed down to Christ?