Our Daily Scripture – 9/14/25 (Sunday)

SCRIPTURE:  2 TIMOTHY 2

MEMORY VERSE:

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

PAUL’S ADVICES TO TIMOTHY:

  1.  Be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus. (v. 1)
  2.  Say my words in the presence of many witnesses and entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (v. 2)
  3.  Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (v. 3)
  4.  Serve as a loyal soldier, compete according to the rules as an athlete and work hard as a farmer. (v. 4-6)
  5.  Remember the gospel that Jesus Christ descended from David and raised from the dead. (v. 8)

A TRUSTWORTHY SAYING: (vs. 11-13)

If we died with him, we will also live with him;  If  we endure, we will also reign with him; If we disown him, he will also disown us;  If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

A WORKMAN APPROVED BY GOD (vs. 14-25)

  1.  He does not quarrel about words before God. (v. 14)
  2.  He does his best to present himself to God as one approved. (v. 15)
  3.  He is not ashamed to handle the word of truth. (v. 15)
  4.  He does not indulge in godless chatter. (v. 16)
  5.  He is an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. (v. 21)
  6.  He should flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with a pure heart. (v. 22)
  7.  He does not engage in foolish and stupid arguments that produce quarrels. (v. 23)
  8.  He must not quarrel but be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. (v. 24)
  9.  He must gently instruct those who oppose him with the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth. (v. 25)
  10.  He must lead those who oppose him to come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (v. 26)

THOUGHTS:

THE POWER OF GOD’S GRACE:

  1.  It strengthens us to be faithful teachers, soldiers, athletes, farmers, workers, vessels and servants.
  2.  It enables us to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.
  3.  It sustains us to endure hardship in fighting the battle, not to be ashamed of the gospel so that we do not deny the Lord.

Paul told Timothy to think about his words and God would give him understanding.  God speaks through the Bible, his Word; but  we need to be opened and receptive to him.  When you read the Bible, ask God to show you his timeless truths and the application to your life.

Paul declared an important doctrine that Jesus is fully man (born into David’s family) and fully God (raised from the dead).  Some said that Christ was divine but not human.  But others believe that Christ was human but not divine.  Either view destroys the good news that Jesus Christ has taken our sins on himself and has reconciled us to God.

When you have endured so much that you seem to have no faith left, remember that Jesus is faithful to stay by your side.  He promises to be with you “to the end of the age”.

Paul urged Timothy to remind the believers not to argue over unimportant details (fighting over words) or have foolish, useless and harmful discussions because it will cause strife and divisions.  Instead, every believer must study what the Word of God says and understand what it means.  Consistent and diligent study of God’s word is vital to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

Paul mentioned about Hymenaeus and Philetus who have wandered away from the truth because of their false teaching concerning the resurrection.  The taught that resurrection is past already and there shall be no bodily resurrection at all but what resurrection means is that the soul awakes from sin.  Other false teachers deny the resurrection of the body. They believed that when a person became a Christian, he was spiritually reborn, and that was the only resurrection.  Paul taught that believers will be resurrected after they die, and that their bodies as well as their souls will live eternally with Christ.

Beware of false teachers.  They spout lies, distort the truth, dilute it or delete it.  You should be careful to follow God’s truth.

Paul warned Timothy to run from anything that produced evil thoughts.  Do you have a recurring temptation that is difficult to resist?  Remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin.  Knowing when to run is important in spiritual battle.

Paul advised those who teach God’s truth to be kind and gentle, patient and courteous in explaining the truth.  When you are teaching    Church’s Sunday School, leading a Bible study group or preaching in church, remember to listen to people’s questions and treat them respectfully while avoiding foolish debates.  By doing this, people who oppose you will be more willing to hear what you will say and perhaps turn from their error.