DAY 2: 2 TIMOTHY 2:7-13
REFLECTING AND REVEALING
Read 2 Timothy 2:7.
“Think about what I am saying.” (NLT) When Paul says think about it, he means to sit down, shut out, and reflect on his words. It means to let it sink in and permeate our lives. Fortunately, reflecting on Scripture comes with the help of God according to this verse.
There are two works here in this very short verse. There is our work of reflecting, and God’s work of providing insight. If we will be faithful to do our part – that is, reflect and ponder the words of God – He will do His part to provide understanding or some insight to affect our thinking and our behavior.
I have heard it said by some that they just don’t get anything out of reading the Bible. I must confess that that is something I and perhaps so many of you can relate to. It is difficult to make reading the Bible a part of our lives when we get nothing out of it. Eventually, if we keep it up, it becomes mindless routine. That said, for many people, the problem is not reading. The problem is a failure to reflect. In our fast paced world, slowing down enough to reflect on God’s word is a real problem. Rather than thinking on God’s words, we think about the next thing we have to do, and then rush to get the current thing done in order to move on to the next. That may not be true of all of us, but I believe it is a rampant problem in my conversations with people.
Last week, we spent much time on the topic of discipline and hard work. This is one of those areas that I am talking about. It is unfortunate that the term “discipline” seems to denote “doing”. But here, discipline is needed to merely stop and think. When reflecting on God’s words, we should consider:
What does this say about God?
What does this say about me?
What are the implications for me?
How should this affect my attitude?
How should this affect my behavior?
What is the Holy Spirit bringing to mind?
Why would God have me sitting here today reading this passage?
You may have noticed in the last few weeks that the Scripture readings are very short – sometimes only one verse like today. Reading is often not the problem. We need to spend more time reflecting. These very short readings should provide you a little more time to reflect. Today, consider this area of reflecting. Do you struggle here? Think about looking ahead in the week, and how you might carve out some time for you to reflect more. Spend just a little more time in your devotional readings this week, and as God imparts some greater understanding, I pray it will motivate you to continue reflecting.
Our lives are to be a reflection of God. But remember, we cannot reflect what we do not reflect on.
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Questions for Home Groups
1) Is it difficult for you to slow down and reflect on your Bible readings? Why?
2) Are you more like a “Mary” or a “Martha” (cf. Luke 10:38-42)? How can you become more like Mary?
