2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB  “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Last week I attended the funeral of a dear lady from the church I grew up in. It called to mind a book I have kept all these years. One time when I was younger, Sister Helen was putting together a special program at church (may have been Memorial Day, or some holiday like that). She asked me if I would read some narration in the program and I agreed. Afterwards, she gave me a gift to thank me for helping her, a book to teach me to sign the song “Jesus Loves Me.” I’ve kept it all this time because when I see it, I remember her gratitude.

Paul told Timothy that gratitude towards God would be part of an established faith in Christ. I believe that gratitude towards God will naturally spill over to others. Sister Helen went above and beyond to show her gratitude, and I never forgot it.

-Kevi

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Philippians 4:13 NKJV “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I can’t chop onions. I have always said this, but today I needed to chop onions for the recipe I was making and I didn’t want to wait to start dinner until my husband got home. So I arrogantly thought I could handle it, I would just use the food chopper to make it go quickly. Well, five seconds in my eyes started to water, 15 seconds in my nose started to run, after 30 seconds I couldn’t see straight and I started to think “this was a terrible idea!” I had to throw away half the onion because I couldn’t take it any longer! Then I decided to open up the back door to let some fresh air in, and my toddler used the opportunity to escape, and the dog stole his pacifier! So it is official, I cannot chop onions!

Philippians 4:13 is often used out of context. It doesn’t say “I can do everything I set my mind to.” It doesn’t say “I will accomplish everything I pray about.”  Per verse 12, Paul is saying through Christ’s strength, he has learned to be content in all circumstances, whether he is full or hungry. Christ’s strength allows us to keep going, through all things.

Sometimes my “can do attitude” leaves me feeling disappointed when I can’t do it all. But the point is not to do all things, the point is to rely on Christ’s strength for all things.  

-Kevi

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2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB  But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.  

When I find a piece of fruit with a few bad spots on it, I’ll cut them out instead of throwing it away. If there are quite a few bad spots, I will even cut it up and make a fruit salad out of it. I don’t want to throw out the good parts, because of the bad.

The frustrating part about 2 Timothy 3 is that the people Paul is referring to are not the outsiders in the world. They are those that claim to be religious, but they aren’t following Christ: “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.” Paul warns us to avoid these people, but he doesn’t say to avoid church because these people are there!  We have to shine our lights all the brighter, so the world can see the difference.  

-Kevi

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2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 

Today I was at my parents’ house with my four month old baby, and my brother’s baby that is just 10 days younger. Needless to say, it was a noisy house today! No one has to teach babies to cry, they come by it naturally. Where there are babies there will be crying.

Paul said there would be difficult days ahead. Why? “For men will be lovers of self…” Where there are people, there will be sin! The difficult times we are living in are a natural consequence of our sinful human nature.

But that doesn’t mean we give up, and it doesn’t mean we give in to sin. Just like parents spend a lot of time trying to get their babies to stop crying, Christians should be committed to following Christ and setting aside our sin (neither task is easy!). As Paul said: “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,” 2 Timothy 3: 14

-Kevi

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2 Corinthians 10:12; 17-18 NASB For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. 17 But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

We got one of those giant rulers for our wall to mark how tall our children are each year. Well, of course we had to measure ourselves and my husband was very insistent that he was a certain height…even though the ruler did not corroborate that. He said “My driver’s license says that’s how tall I am!” I was quick to remind him that your driver’s license says whatever height you tell them to put down. (It was only a half an inch difference, so we agreed if you round up, he was indeed as tall as he said he was.)

If you measure yourself by yourself, you might end up with a skewed reality. Paul was warning the Corinthians not to follow the example of false teachers in the church that had two high an opinion of themselves. Instead, we should view ourselves through the lens of the Gospel. Our accomplishments are only those that God has given us. And His opinion is the only one that really counts.

-Kevi

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Matthew 11:28-30 NASB “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Have you ever gone to the grocery store for just a few things, so you decided not to get a shopping cart? Well, I did this once, and then remembered I needed a sack of potatoes…by the time I got to the checkout counter, my arms were tired! I had every opportunity to put down my heavy burden in the shopping carts provided, but I stubbornly carried a sack of potatoes all around that store instead.

Jesus gives us every opportunity to put down our burdens: our sin, our regrets, our pride and our worries. He will show us a better way; if we take His yoke to direct us, and His burden instead of ours, we will feel rested instead of weary.

-Kevi

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Matthew 11:28-30 NASB “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Oxen are usually yoked together in pairs. When I hear the familiar Scripture “My yoke is easy” I have had an image in my head of Jesus and I yoked together, working together. Well, I don’t know where I got that idea from, because as I read this Scripture today, the Holy Spirit made it very clear that although I may be one of the oxen, Jesus is definitely not. He’s the one leading the team!

When we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, we accept His yoke upon us, so that he can lead us. He will be gentle, but He will still drive us in the direction He wants us to go.

Lord, forgive me for ever thinking we were on equal footing. You are the Lord of my life!

-Kevi

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Romans 8:26-27 NASB In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The first time I remember hearing this verse, I was in high school and a visiting evangelist preached an impassioned sermon on it. It stuck with me, but at the time I honestly didn’t understand what it looked like to need the Holy Spirit to help you pray.

But I’m older now, and I’ve had times that I didn’t know what I should pray for, because I didn’t know what was right. I’ve had times when I couldn’t pray, because the words wouldn’t come, or the tears wouldn’t let them. I’ve had times when I felt like I had prayed the same prayer too many times, and I didn’t feel like it was worth praying again. But each of those times God heard my prayer, because the Holy Spirit was interceding for me.

Even when you don’t think words can help, prayer is still an option!

-Kevi

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2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 (NASB) But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

When I visit my doctor I have confidence in the advice and diagnosis he provides for me and my children. But I am not putting my confidence in his innate ability to heal, rather I am confident in the medical school that trained him. If they say he earned a medical degree, then I can have confidence he gained the necessary medical knowledge to be my doctor.

Paul didn’t say he had confidence in the Thessalonians; rather he had confidence in the Lord who was directing their hearts. Likewise we can’t always have confidence in mankind, but we can trust the Lord to lead us and our fellow Christians. If we allow Jesus to be Lord over our lives, He will direct us towards obedience.

-Kevi

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Romans 10:13-15 (NASB) for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

When we moved into our house one of the things we found was an emergency fire escape ladder in the upstairs closet. In the event of a fire you can hang it over the window and climb out to safety. My husband just reminded me about it the other day, because he realized we never remember to tell our guests (who stay in the guest room upstairs) that it is there. How sad would it be if there actually was a fire, and they didn’t know the way to safety?

There are so many in this world that don’t know the way to safety. An eternity with God is available to “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord” but someone needs to share this truth with them first. Whether they live next door or on the other side of the world, someone needs to bring them the Good News.

Will it be me? Will it be you?

-Kevi

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