Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (II Timothy 2:14-19, 22-26)
A good friend recently commented regarding thoughts on II Timothy: “Dana, I can just picture you speaking to your kids like that and emphasizing the things you think God wants them to hear from you.” I told my friend that the reason I have been reading II Timothy was that my dad told me this was the message he would write to believers in this day and time. Reading the letter afresh, it is as if I can hear my father’s voice. Perhaps this is what God intends as we read His Word. Through the Holy Spirit, we hear our Heavenly Father’s voice.
Regarding the verses above, I think I would say this to Taylor, Emma, Kinsey, Jordan, Karlyn, and John:
Be ready to talk about Jesus any time and anywhere. But be careful; some people just want to argue. Quarreling about words, arguing about stupid things, and jumping into every debate does more harm than good. God wants us to resist evil and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with a pure heart.
Be a good student of God’s Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to give understanding when you read… He promises to guide us in truth. There is a lot of bad handling of God’s Word in the world today. Some are teaching things in direct in opposition of the truth. In every situation we encounter though, God wants us to speak with kindness and love.
If there is confusion regarding who loves God and who is opposing Him, just remember: “The Lord knows who are His.” God is never confused and He has said that: “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” We are called to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light. He is with us!
I don’t think I can explain how much I love you. And I know we cannot fully fathom how much the Father loves us. With all the Body of Christ, let’s constantly thank God and let’s help each other on the journey.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bunches to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30