2 Timothy 2:15-21
Today's Passage: 2 Timothy 2:15-21
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he exhorted him to set an example for others in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Timothy was a young leader who was looked down upon by others because of his age.
It seems like there was a regular temptation for Timothy to look to others for approval.
This was a temptation that Paul was familiar with first hand. Before Paul met God on Damascus road, he was Saul: a Pharisee. Everything that the Pharisees did was ultimately for the approval of man and not the worship of God.
However, because of Paul’s experience on Damascus road when he came into contact with the one, true, living God, Paul has been made completely new!
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that is ANYONE is in Christ, he is a new creation. Saul became Paul. A man who was not controlled by the opinions of others, but who regarded himself as a servant of Christ.
In Galatians 1, Paul describes some of the opposition he has had in preaching the gospel. There were false teachers surrounding Paul, but rather than bend the message of the Gospel, Paul stood firm in the truth.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul asks the question, “Am I seeking the approval of man, or of God?” and he answers that question by explaining that if his first goal was to please man, then he would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul now exhorts Timothy to diligently put the approval of God at the forefront of his mind. By setting the opinion of God as ultimate over the opinion of man, Timothy is able to set himself apart so that he can be the most effective for God.
So how can we too be set free from the constant need for the approval of others? Second Timothy 2:19 says, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
Like Paul, the first step to being freed from this sin is to call on the name of the Lord, to come into a saving relationship with God through Jesus. If you have never done that, consider today what it would look like to turn from your sin and follow Jesus.
Written By: Paulette Carwile
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he exhorted him to set an example for others in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Timothy was a young leader who was looked down upon by others because of his age.
It seems like there was a regular temptation for Timothy to look to others for approval.
This was a temptation that Paul was familiar with first hand. Before Paul met God on Damascus road, he was Saul: a Pharisee. Everything that the Pharisees did was ultimately for the approval of man and not the worship of God.
However, because of Paul’s experience on Damascus road when he came into contact with the one, true, living God, Paul has been made completely new!
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that is ANYONE is in Christ, he is a new creation. Saul became Paul. A man who was not controlled by the opinions of others, but who regarded himself as a servant of Christ.
In Galatians 1, Paul describes some of the opposition he has had in preaching the gospel. There were false teachers surrounding Paul, but rather than bend the message of the Gospel, Paul stood firm in the truth.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul asks the question, “Am I seeking the approval of man, or of God?” and he answers that question by explaining that if his first goal was to please man, then he would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul now exhorts Timothy to diligently put the approval of God at the forefront of his mind. By setting the opinion of God as ultimate over the opinion of man, Timothy is able to set himself apart so that he can be the most effective for God.
So how can we too be set free from the constant need for the approval of others? Second Timothy 2:19 says, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
Like Paul, the first step to being freed from this sin is to call on the name of the Lord, to come into a saving relationship with God through Jesus. If you have never done that, consider today what it would look like to turn from your sin and follow Jesus.
Written By: Paulette Carwile
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