December 13: 2 Timothy 3 14-17

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 3 17
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Devotion:
This letter to Timothy warned him of the persecution which would come his way just because he was willing to tell others about the gospel. The same warning must be taken seriously by us – the bolder and more willing we are to spread the gospel, the more persecution may come our way! This is not God testing us but the evil one trying to dissuade us from spreading the gospel.

Paul went through many trials as he continued to teach others the gospel and about salvation through Jesus Christ; some of those trial being listed earlier in this chapter. His warning to Timothy was not to try and dissuade him to doing what he was but to encourage him because Paul had made it through all of those persecutions. We may not be able to avoid the persecutions and trials, but we will have God with us every step of the way!

People who work against God may well look like they are getting stronger when we have to face the trials, but they are the ones deceiving other and also being deceived themselves. The more they work toward their earthly goals, the deeper they get themselves into the evil ways they are peddling and the further they walk away from God. We need to take note of what they are doing and make sure we do not fall into the same ways or traps they have; we need to take all we have learned from the scriptures and continue to keep passing this knowledge and wisdom on to others – this is God’s will!

The scriptures come from God. They were passed on to us through people who were willing to listen to God and get those words written down for all of us to share in. We can safely use the scriptures for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training other in righteous ways. It is through this we are made ready for our own journey with Christ.

Points to Ponder:
Do you like talking to others?

How often do you talk about God with others?