FBC Daily Devotions

REMEMBERING

Read 2 Timothy 2:8.

The first thing Paul tells Timothy to reflect on is several aspects of Jesus Christ (assuming v. 7 points to vv. 8-13). The first is Jesus raised from the dead. The other is the fact that Jesus was descended from David. Now with all that could have been said of Jesus, why would Paul choose His resurrection and His relationship to David? It seems, as he did earlier in this letter, Paul wants to emphasize Jesus’ divinity and power (as seen in His resurrection) and His humanity (as a descendant of David). He is referred to as Jesus/Christ. He is Jesus the name given at birth. He is the Christ, the supreme One through whom all the universe was created and the Chosen One of God.

This is followed by the statement: This is my gospel.  Indeed, do these not contain some of the most significant elements of the gospel? His divinity and humanity were necessary for our salvation, His resurrection the ultimate proof of His power over death and sin.

Paul says REMEMBER… call to mind, to think of and feel for a person or thing, to hold in memory. How do we keep the gospel fresh in our minds at all times? I am reminded of Jesus’ words to the disciples before His death –

1 Corinthians 11:23-25 

 ²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

You know Jesus could have told them to remember His body and blood every time they went swimming (a sort of reminder of baptism) or every time they walked past the temple (as Jesus referred to as Himself in the book of John) or some other occasional activity as a symbolic reminder of Him. Interestingly, though, He chose something they did several times a day – eating and drinking (actually Jesus technically only mentions drinking, but the point is clear). Jesus connected his work with an everyday activity as a means of reminding them what was to be central in their life. What a way to keep the gospel ever before them!

As I consider this, I am reminded that we give thanks to God for the food before a meal. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the last time I included the gospel in the grace or stopped to remember the gospel during a drink. The gospel is so important, we are never to lose sight of it.

To consider: What can you do to help remember the gospel in your life?  Yesterday, the emphasis was on stopping and reflecting more. Consider the gospel and its impact on your life. Let it rest in your mind and guide your attitude and decisions today. And then make an effort to remember the gospel throughout the day. If you must, devise some triggers to help you.

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Questions for Home Groups

1) How might remembering the gospel affect your attitude and decisions throughout the day?

2) Discuss ways you can help remember the gospel more on a daily basis.

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?

GIVING AND FINDING ENCOURAGEMENT

Do you know someone discouraged? We live in a culture filled with opportunities for discouragement. Walk through any store and you’ll see all the things you can’t have. Talk about discouragement!

Why is it people are discouraged? Perhaps it comes from expectations that don’t come true. Be it sports, health, finances, relationships, unrealized expectations can bring discouragement. How do we go about encouraging someone who is discouraged? How do we help them get the joy back?

In this week’s passage, we see Paul doing this with Timothy. In light of Paul’s discouragement, he kept his eye out for Timothy who may have been discouraged as well. Perhaps Timothy was disappointed and discouraged to carry on without his mentor in the faith. Could he do it without Paul?

Paul throughout the letter has been exhorting Timothy to carry on the work of the gospel. To encourage Timothy, he instructs Timothy to:

1. Look to the Lord, v. 8

The command “remember” means to “be rooted” or “be fixed”. In other words, let Jesus Christ be a fixture in our minds. Let Him have a regular place in our thought process. When Christ takes a hold of our minds, He becomes the object of our hope regardless of the situation.

2. Look to the Leaders, vv. 9-10

Paul reminds Timothy of his own condition. Craig shared that we should watch and follow those who lead well. A good leader suffers and endures. There are many people around us who are examples of enduring leadership. They may not be leaders by title, but they are leaders by their life and character. Look to these people for our example and encouragement. Who are the leaders in your life? How have they encouraged you in your walk?

3. Look to the Liturgy, vv. 11-13

This section is likely a quote from an early hymn or creed. The truths are significant:

-if we have died with Him (note the past tense, one time act of dying), we shall live with Him (we will live with Christ if we have placed our faith in Him)

-if we endure, we shall also reign with Him

-if we disown Him (reject Him and turn our backs on Him), he also will deny us (our belief matters; He won’t drag us in kicking.)

-if we are faithless (i.e. if we stumble), He remains faithful (to forgive us and restore us to Him)                  

Liturgy is a means of helping us remember truth. They are developed to encourage us. Hymns and songs are similarly vehicles to help us remember the content of truth. Music exists to transport words (like a bus to transport people). Some songs are like crowded buses, some are not. Craig shared that we remember liturgy, creeds, and songs that are full (rather than empty). Filling our minds with truth helps the discouraging things fade away.

Consider how each of these influences is doing in your life and see if any area needs improvement so that when you do need encouragement, it will be just around the corner.

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Questions for Home Groups

1) Where do you typically find encouragement?

2) Has there ever been a time when you were down and a particular verse in Scripture gave you encouragement?

3) Do you have people in your life who have endured hardship? How have they been an encouragement to you?

4) When it comes to liturgy, have there been “full” songs that have encouraged you when you were down?

A FARMER

Read 2 Timothy 2:6.

Growing up in a farming community, I learned that the work involved in raising crops was more than a dusk to dawn job. I had a friend who would get up before school to do work in the fields and then at night, the last thing he would do before going to bed was drive to the various water irrigation valves around the fields and shut them off for the night. His dad, of course, did all the real labor, but as a kid, I always admired his willingness and hard work… perhaps something that would benefit all youths.

Today’s passage tells us that the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. After all, he isn’t working for nothing. There is at the end of a hard day – and a string of hard days at that – the reward of fruit. Paul’s point here is that we cannot expect to see any eternal fruit from our lives if we are unwilling to work hard. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops, but the slothful worker will have nothing to eat at the end of his sleep.

For the last several days, an exclamation point has been put on the need for determination, focus, discipline, and hard work to carry out God’s mission. There is no doubt that there will be great sacrifices made in the process. What soldier, athlete, or farmer doesn’t sacrifice some part of his or her life in the pursuit of God and His purposes?

We live in a culture full of distractions. While it is has been said we are creatures of habit, it is equally true that we are creatures of comfort. That oftentimes goes against the call of God. There is nothing wrong with comfort, but if it becomes one’s pursuit, then the kingdom will take a back seat. At the same time we don’t purposefully seek to suffer either. Doing the work of the kingdom will bring enough suffering on its own!

To consider: What have you had to sacrifice in order to do the work of God (family, friends, material possessions, a nice yard, etc.)? How have you “received a share of the crops” in your work? (i.e. How have you seen God honor your efforts?)  Take note of those rewards and thank God for allowing you the privilege of experiencing them now, knowing He could have waited to reward you later in eternity.

AN ATHLETE

Read 2 Timothy 2:5.

Paul now compares a life in Christ to an athlete who competes by the rules. It would be easy to see these rules as those that pertain to the competition itself. But in the days of the Greeks, the competition began not with the race itself, but with the preparation for the race. Before a race, the competitors had to swear that they had prepared at least 10 months earlier. After all, this was supposed to be a “competition”. And the competitors, they weren’t racing to merely compete. They were racing to win. One could not expect to win if the rules of preparation weren’t adhered to.

When I was in high school, I tried my hand at cross country running. The thing is, I hated running. It made me tired. Labored breathing was not my idea of fun. And so I never trained beyond the normal afterschool program. No running on my own time (well, maybe once) – to be honest, the only reason I joined was because I didn’t want to take PE. On the other hand, those who took it seriously, those at the head of the pack, trained on their own. Before school and on weekends, they ran tirelessly. So when it came time for our first race, they were ready. I was not. All the past pain I was spared by not training hard seemed to collect like water in a large hillside. By the time I was perhaps a half mile into the 3 mile race, the mudslide came pouring down on me. It was painful.  

One cannot win (let alone compete) if the rules of preparation are not followed. Our life in Christ is not merely to make it to the finish line. It is to finish well by doing the best we can to do the best we can. The Christian life requires training, hard work, and discipline. It cannot be run with a sort of apathetic attitude. In many ways, our entire life is a kind of training ground. The day is full of training opportunities. When we face a difficult person, that is a training opportunity to improve our patience and grace. When we face a difficult work schedule, that is a training opportunity to build perseverance. When we face an impossible situation, that is a training opportunity to pray and trust. The Christian “athlete” competes by the rules in order to win the crown of glory at life’s end. Are you training to win?

To consider: While life by itself brings on many training opportunities, there are ways we can be intentional in our training. Just like an athlete trains at specific times of the day and on specific days of the week, we, too, are to be intentional in our preparation. If you struggle in this area of intentional training, consider what you might do to improve here. Remember, one can only win if he trains. There are no short cuts.