2 Timothy 3:14-15

Summary retelling of 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Having spoken about evil people and imposters, Paul reminds Timothy to remember what he has been taught and who taught it to him.  He also reminds Timothy to stick close to the Word of God which is the only thing that can truly make us wise with respect to salvation as the Word of God works through the faith we have received from Christ.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul reminds Timothy to always remember his roots.  Remember that Timothy was raised in the faith by his Jewish grandmother and mother and then they converted to Christianity upon hearing about Jesus Christ.  Timothy’s life is rooted in spirituality.  Thus, if people are coming along and trying to change things on him or to get him to believe things that aren’t true, Timothy needs to focus on what he learned from the people he knew to be faithful followers of God.

What does this passage then tell us about the importance of giving children and youth every opportunity to build up their spirituality while they are young?  What can we learn as young people about taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us?  What can this passage tell us about the importance of being available to be a spiritual mentor to the next generation?

Second Thought:

Paul tells Timothy to stick close to the Word.  It might sound trite to say, but people come and go.  The Word of God remains forever.  The Word of God is the only thing that can keep us on the path of wisdom.  The Word of God is the only thing that can teach us, pick us up, set us straight, and encourage us into God’s glory.  It really is the Word of God that helps to keep us grounded in life.  {Of course, God working through His Word…}

How valuable do you honestly consider God’s Word in your life?  How does that answer match up with how valuable God’s Word should be in your life?  If it matches up well, how do you think you got to this point?  If it doesn’t match up well at all, how can you learn to value God’s Word more than you already do?

Third Thought:

We have received faith through Jesus Christ.  Christ was the only one truly faithful to God, so His faith is the only one upon which we can rely.  Since we receive faith through the faithful one – Christ – we can be sure that the faith we receive from God is capable of living up to God’s promise to us.  We can be confident that we can have a true relationship with God because our relationship with God is inherently tied to Jesus’ relationship with God which was faithful.

Does it help you to remember that your relationship with God is rooted in Christ’s relationship with the Father?  Why is that meaningful to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Timothy 3:16-17