Tuesday,
August 15, 2023
I solemnly urge you in the presence
of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he
comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or
not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and
encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no
longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own
desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching
ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase
after myths. But you should
keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t
be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work
at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given
you. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
What the
apostle wrote to young pastor Timothy was not an easy read. Paul knew something about the “Bell Curve” of
church life. People get excited about
second chances, grace, love, and God’s blessings. But there is more than consumer-friendliness
to the Gospel; there are also hard truths for anyone who wants to follow
Jesus. And those truths are not
optional-equipment – they are not up for discussion. Jesus said so, very plainly:
Then he said
to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your
own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23
Paul warned
Timothy that he would encounter those who prefer an easy life much more than
God’s truth. The earthly life of Jesus displayed
that truth clearly. By the time the
Galilean finished his ministry, the crowds had not only dwindled, but turned
against Jesus. In the end it was an
apostle and two women who stood at the foot of the cross. The five thousand Jesus fed were out looking
for someone else to fill their bellies
A church I
once served as pastor was on that decline-curve; aging-out was on the near horizon. At homecoming that year I preached a message
about open and closed doors, and how it was our responsibility to pay attention;
we should not become the lukewarm church[1]. After the service an older woman, who always
sat on the seat furthest from the pulpit with a scowl that would blister titanium,
said to me on the way out the door: You
should preach what these people came to hear…we want to hear good stuff, happy
stuff…not about churches being closed.
I told her I agreed…I also wanted to hear good stuff…about the church
being on fire with love for God, and how they were telling their neighbors
about Jesus – but what I wanted came in a distant third to
what I was called to preach, which was the truth. Churches are dying for lack of preachers and
members who are more concerned with telling the Gospel, than just living in their
happy zone.
If that seems
harsh, it isn’t any wonder…it is blunt, and a heavy cross to carry. But so was the cross Jesus carried to
Golgotha…the same cross he said anyone who wanted to be His disciple must
carry.
For You Today
So, what do
you do when the cross gets heavy? Get in
the yoke with Jesus. He has promised to
take the heavier side of the work. Your
calling as a disciple of Christ is (as Paul told Timothy) to preach the Word no
matter whether people think it’s in-season or out-of-season. If the Gospel is offensive in today’s culture,
preach the Word of the Gospel anyway; the response of the people is in their
hands, not yours! And only God is the
judge of all of it!
There are about 2,600 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.
Title Image: Pixabay.com Images without citation are in public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT©
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