The Danger of False Teaching 2 Tim 2:15-20 by Charles Stanley

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Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 2:16-21

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
2 Timothy 2:16‭-‬21 KJV

Ever since the beginning of church history, believers have been in a battle for the truth. That’s why, in today’s reading, Paul admonished Timothy to be faithful—not only in preaching God’s Word but also in refuting false doctrines. Both types of instruction are necessary for the health of a local congregation. False teaching …

• Leads to further ungodliness (2 Timothy 2:16). A false teacher’s words may sound religious, but something counterfeit can never make a person righteous. Apart from the true Word of God (John 17:17), no one can grow in holiness.

• Spreads like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:17). Once deceitful ideas infiltrate a church and are accepted by a few, contagion can ultimately make the entire congregation spiritually sick and prone to ignore the Spirit’s power.

• Overthrows the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:18-19). The church as a whole loses effectiveness when individual members turn away from Christ to embrace error.

If we’re firmly grounded in the Scriptures, we can more easily recognize and flee from seductive ideas that would lead us astray. Accurate knowledge of God’s Word is our best protection.

The Doulos Spirit A.B Simpson

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A.B Simpson
The Doulos Spirit

The first word here used for service is diakanos, which means minister to others in any usual way or work. The word doulos, however, means a bondservant, and the Lord here plainly teaches us that this is the highest form of service. Christ made himself the servant of all, and he who would come nearest to Him and stand closest to Him at last must likewise learn the spirit of the ministry that has utterly renounced selfish rights and claims forever. It is quite possible for us to be entirely loyal to the Lord Jesus, and yet for His sake to be servants and under the authority of those who are over us in the Lord. The doulos spirit is the spirit of self-renunciation and glad submission to proper authority-service utterly disinterested, yielding its own preferences and interests unreservedly for the glory of the Master and the sake of our brethren. Lord, clothe us with such humility and make us wholly Thine. But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant -Matthew 20:26-27

Faithful in little by A.B Simpson

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A.B. Simpson
The man who missed his opportunity and met the doom of the faithless servant was not the man with five talents, or the man with two, but the man who had only one. The people who are in danger of missing life's great meaning are the people of ordinary capacity and opportunity who say to themselves, There is so little I can do that I will not try to do anything. One of the finest windows in Europe was made from the remnants an apprentice boy collected from the cuttings of his master's great work. The sweepings of the British mint are worth millions. The little pivots on which the works of a watch turn are so important that they actually are made of jewels. God places a solemn value on a single talent. He puts a large responsibility on the humble workers and persons who would try to hide behind the insignificance of trifling opportunities. Our littleness will not excuse us in the reckoning day. Talk not of talents; what hast thou to do? Thou hast sufficient, whether five or two. Talk not of talents; is thy duty done? This brings the blessing whether ten or one. Faithful in that which is least -Luke 16:10

Passion Gal 2:20 by Charles Stanley

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CHARLES STANLEY
Passions
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/gal.2.20.KJV

When young children want something they can’t have immediately, it often becomes their unrelenting focus. They persistently ask for new toys, experiences, or additional treats, perhaps even throwing a tantrum when their request is denied. If we’re honest, there are times we behave like that with God.

During the early days of the church, the word passion referred to these persistent, uncontrolled desires of the flesh that draw us away from God. When Paul wrote to the Galatians, this is exactly what he wanted them to remember—that to belong to Jesus means that these passions have been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20; Gal. 5:24).

We deal with harmful desires by taking slow, measured steps away from them and toward the Lord. It’s only as we relinquish our passions and retrain our focus that we’ll realize our fulfillment comes from Christ alone. But remember, you don’t have to get there all at once. It takes patience to surrender your passions and actively seek the Lord.

Think about it
• Throughout the day, notice what things you’re attached to by asking, What holds my attention most of the time? Consider writing them down or discussing them with a trusted friend.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 7-9

Keep Yourself Jude 21 A.B Simpson

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A.B SIMPSON

Keep Yourself in The Love of God

Some time ago, I was enjoying a beautiful sunset. The western skies seemed like a great archipelago of golden islands, the masses in the distance rising up into vast mountains of glory. The hue of the sky was so gorgeous that it seemed to reflect itself upon the whole atmosphere as I looked back from the west to the eastern horizon. The whole earth was radiant with glory. The fields had changed to strange red richness, and the earth seemed bathed with the dews of heaven. So it is when the love of God shines through all our celestial sky; it covers everything below, and life becomes radiant with its light. Things that were hard become easy. Things that were biting become sweet. Labor loses its burden, and sorrow becomes silver-lined with hope and gladness. There are two ways of living in God's love: one is constant trust; the other is constant obedience. God's own Word gives the message for both. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love John 15:10). Keep yourselves in the love of God -Jude 21

A Story To Share Ps 44:1-3 by Dr. Paul Chappell

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A Story to Share

by Dr. Paul Chappell

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

Psalm 44:1-3

One of the great pleasures of being a grandparent is getting to tell a new generation about the wonderful things God has done in our lives. I remember telling my children some of these same stories when they were little. Now we are doing what we can to strengthen and encourage the faith of the next generation. But something else is important as well—I don't want to just tell them stories from many years ago. I want to be able to tell them and show them what God is doing right now. God has always been faithful through the years, and we must not forget all that He has done for us. But we must also not be content to rest on the past.

God is not through with any of us. The fact that we are still alive and here on earth means that He still has things for us to do. There are new battles to be fought and new foes to be defeated. There are lost people to reach and Christians to encourage. There are new challenges that require new prayers to see new provision. The God who parted the Red Sea, gave David victory over Goliath, and made the sun stand still for Joshua is the God we love and serve. The God who answered the prayers of Hannah and Esther and Nehemiah hears when we call out to Him. We need new stories of God at work in our lives to share with those who come after us.

Today's Growth Principle:
As long as we live, we should be looking for the work God has for us to do and putting ourselves wholly into it.

God Never Changes, Dr. Paul Chappell

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 God Never Changes

by Dr. Paul Chappell

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Hebrews 1:10-12

Most of us have had the experience of going back as adults to visit a place that was special to us when we were young. Perhaps it was a grandparent's house or a church or a park—but wherever it was we have the memories of the way we experienced it as children. Yet often when we return to those places, we find that they are very different from our memories. It may be that we simply did not have the perspective as children to see things as they really were. Buildings that once seemed huge may now look small. It may be that the passage of time has changed them, so that some of the things we remember are simply no longer there. Anyone who has had that experience suffers a feeling of loss or displacement—and a nostalgia for the way things used to be.

As Christians, we have a relationship with a God who never changes. He is always the same, and we need never fear that we will go to Him and find that He is no longer willing or able to help us. God exists outside of the space and time that border our existence. He is not subject to aging or the effects of decay that take their toll on both people and places in our fallen world. God will always be just as present and real and powerful as He was in the past and is today. “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

Today's Growth Principle: 

Our faith has a firm foundation because the God who made the promises we claim will never change.