Today Our Daily Bread 2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2: 1 - 26
1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. 3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. 5 Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. 6 Hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things..
8 Never forget that Jesus Christ was a man born into King David's family and that he was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. 11 This is a true saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. 12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. 13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God's name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 15 Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this. 18 They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some.
19 But God's truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," F2 and "Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness." F3 20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.
22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
~Lena’s Comments~
We work hard at getting whatever it is we really want? Isn’t the word, its truths and its rewards worth working hard at? What about gaining salvation for others, It is worth the work. Is it worth suffering in this life for? Yes it is, because the reward is not of this world, it is of he eternal world, where we will spend our lives forever, where no suffering will be at all. Sometimes thinking of suffering as being in labor till promises are birthed is a good way to think of things. Labor is worth the birth of a precious child. So is suffering for Christ here worth what will be brought forth either later here and /or later there. Looking at seeds and how they are planted, die, break forth through the crust and the ground and live in a completely different form, which emanates a beauty beyond comprehension, sums it all up in picture form. Again arguments do not promote the nature of God, no matter what they are about and what point they are defending. God’s nature is agreement and peace. Truth does not have to have an edge when presented and does not need to be up for a debate either. Truth is truth, as long as it is the pure (untempered by my own opinions) word of God. If we know Him in His character, we will also know that He is the God of peace and does not have to be proven worthy by us, as in debated over. Purity seems t9o be related to peace in truth, security in God. If we are insecure we have to prove ourselves. Christ was threatened and was subjected to those who hated Him and were cursing Him, yet He had nothing to debate or prove. He was proof of God, period.
The fellowship of other believers is so essential to our healthy Christian thinking, to our healthy Christian lives. We’ve got to resist any pull to attend to other things first and let our opportunities of fellowship with other believers lapse. It is such an easy tendency to let that go first, to count it as the least of the important things we should be doing in life, yet it is very high on God’s list of priority for growth. If we are truly caretakers of our faith, we should deliberately resist anything that would call us away from what will build our faith and make it stronger, and what will build in us more opportunity for strong Godly character, which is the fellowship of other stronger than us believers.