Tag: Devotional

Appearance of Godliness but no Power (2 Timothy)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

2Timothy 3:1-5 ESV But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, (4) treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

If you are like me, you have a few pieces of cheap furniture around the house. We used to have dresser that had a nice wood pattern on it. The grain of the wood was really clear and looked great. The only problem was that what you saw was just a veneer. It was an outer layer laid on top of cheap particle-board. Through years of use and perhaps some humidity, the particles in the particle-board were starting to come apart in places.

Paul reminds us that there will be some folks we encounter in this life who will have an appearance of godliness but no power. From the outside they may appear godly. Maybe they have a good confession of faith. Maybe they dress up and look nice on Sundays. Maybe they know how to pray for an offering or at the end of the service. Yet, when it comes to their actual faith, there isn’t any substance. It’s all particle board. They live and act as if there isn’t a God.

Rather than affirming folks who put on the veneer of godliness but haven’t trusted the Lord with the deeper issues of life, we need to be careful to avoid such folks. Notice Paul isn’t teaching us to avoid folks who don’t claim to know the Lord. He is telling us to avoid folks who claim to know God but live on some level like they don’t know Him at all. We welcome a lot of problems into the church when we entertain folks who fill out this list but slap on an “appearance” of godliness.

2Timothy 4:3 ESV For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

We have those sorts of people today. Never before have you ever had access to accumulate so many preachers on podcasts, the internet, television, radio, etc. Never has a local pastor ever had to compete with so many different voices feeding into the lives of his congregation. To be sure there are some great bible teachers out there, but there are also tons of folks spitting out soundbite theology that produces they type of people that have a form of godliness, but no substance. It’s kind of like when someone else feeds your kids a ton of junk food before dinner so they don’t even want the healthy meal you’ve prepared and then they whine and complain about indigestion. Be careful who you listen to.

Also be careful that you don’t just listen to a ton of good preaching without being accountable to a local congregation. Preaching was never really intended to be divorced from presence. You can’t really live out your faith without your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Father, thank you for the reminder today from 2 Timothy of my call to be a pastor. Thank you for the reminder that you have always known that these days were coming. Give us wisdom and insight in ministering to one another that we might not be as those who have an appearance, but no substance. Let our faith be real and worked out in the context of the community and teachers you have given us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Train Yourself for Godliness (1 Timothy 4-6)

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1Timothy 4:7-8 ESV Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; (8) for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

I heard a motivational speaker share one time that, “Everyone carries a weight. They will either carry the weight of discipline or regret.” What he meant was that those who got up and jogged every morning would have to carry the weight of the self-discipline of getting out of bed and jogging but they would experience the freedom that fitness afforded them. Those who chose not be self-disciplined in getting up early to jog would carry around a different weight, perhaps even a literal weight of not having the freedom and fitness afforded to someone who runs every day.

In these few verses, Paul reminds us that the self-disciple of regular exercise provides a benefit, especially in the context of getting ready for a contest such as a race. You exercise now to run farther and faster on the day of the race. Yet, the self-discipline of training yourself for godliness provides an infinitely greater benefit considering Eternal Life with Christ.

Certainly part of exercising or training for godliness involves spiritual disciplines such as reading your bible, scripture memorization, regular prayer, serving, giving, etc. These are all means which God helps us to grow closer to Him and to be more like Him (godly). The exercise or reading scripture everyday to read through the New Testament or the whole Bible helps you to become familiar with God’s Word and what He expects/ commands His followers to do. The exercise of journaling (as you see me modeling here) helps to digest/ understand and apply the Word to our lives. Then as we pray along the lines of God’s word, our hearts are stirred and we see ourselves putting it more into practice.

Now that Spring is in the air, I’m getting out and exercising more. I’m not as fit as I hope to be by the end of summer, but every day that I discipline myself to jog, the more fit I’ll be. Every time we put into practice the truths we glean from the scripture, we see ourselves getting in spiritual shape and becoming a little more like Jesus.

How is your spiritual training/ exercising going? If you aren’t already, read through the rest of the New Testament with me. Write about what sticks out to you each day. If you have questions ask a trusted bible teacher, or look at a few commentaries etc.

Father, thank you for giving us your Word. I pray that we would be exercising and training ourselves in godliness that we might honor and glorify you. Give us wisdom in where to grow. Give us encouragers and coaches along the way who will help us to discipline ourselves for Godliness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Books (Disclosure*)

e-sword.net – Free Downloadable Bible Study Software

BlueLetterBible.com – Free Online Bible Study Resources

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Pray for the President (1 Timothy 1-3)

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1Timothy 2:1-3 ESV First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (2) for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (3) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

We should pray for our rulers, good or bad. We should pray for the peace of our nations. We should pray for good legislation, good laws, good rulings in the courts, etc. We should also pray that we’d be kept from bad legislation, bad laws, and bad court rulings. No matter who is governing and how they are governing, we should be praying for our leaders to lead in a good way and against them ruling in a bad way.

The motivation for praying for our leaders is that we would be able to lead a peaceful and quiet life. Christians should make the best citizens, especially when rulers are seeking the good of their people. There are times where Christians aren’t able to lead quiet lives because of persecution or because of the morally outrageous leadership. Yet even in those times we are praying for our leaders.

One source I looked at this morning seems to indicate that when Paul wrote this that Nero was the emperor and he had already burned Rome. If Paul could suggest that we pray for Nero, we certainly can pray for our presidents regardless of which party they are from. Praying for our leaders doesn’t mean we endorse everything they do. Indeed in some cases it may be praying against their efforts to disrupt our lives with immoral legislation. We may be praying they have a change of heart. Yet, we will be praying for our leaders.

Christianity and Politics can be tough to navigate. In the resource section there are several links provided, including to a few books that I’ve found helpful.

Father, thank you for the privilege of praying for our leaders. We pray for those who have authority over us and ask that they would make good decisions for our country and be kept from making bad ones. We pray that legislation designed to impede religious liberty would be met with frustration and fall apart. We pray that you would protect the weakest members of our society from those who would destroy them. We pray for the spiritual lives or our leaders. We pray for their health and well being. May we be able to lead peaceful and quiet lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Websites

Books

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Are You Ready? (1 Thessalonians 4-5)

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1Thessalonians 5:2-3 ESV For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (3) While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

You’ve heard of the ancient city of Pompeii. The city was located near a volcano named Mount Vesuvius. On the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted, everyone in Pompeii was going through their daily routines. What they didn’t know was that beneath the surface pressure was building, hot molten rock was moving, and the volcano they lived near would soon erupt. Everything was normal that day, until it wasn’t. In a split second everything changed. Hot deadly ash covered the city killing everything and preserving a snapshot of ancient Roman life for future generations to discover.

Paul reminds us that the return of Christ will happen very suddenly. The world won’t be waiting or expecting His return. Many so called Christians may even be lulled to sleep by the lullaby of everyday life. They will miss the signs of His return. In an instant everything will change. There won’t be time on that day to get ready for what is happening. The only way to be ready for that day is to be ready beforehand.

The question we should as ourselves in reflection is, “are you ready?”

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you that you tell us about the eminent return of Christ. I pray that we’d be ready. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

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(1 Thessalonians 1-3)

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1Thessalonians 2:12 ESV we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

My son entered a competition to show cows this year. For a while he had been out almost every afternoon at a friend’s house walking a cow. He’d learned all sorts of tricks and maneuvers to get the cow to go where it is supposed to go and do what it was supposed to do. Yet when the day of the show arrived, he got nervous and he wasn’t sure he could pull it off. I pulled him to the side and encouraged him to get in there and give it his best that every day he’d been walking and training the cow, he was also being trained on how to show a cow. Once the show got going he calmed down and did great… I wish I could have had the same talk with the cow. Someone forgot to tell her that she was a show cow and that she’d been training for this for months.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he was like a father to them. He was always exhorting, encouraging and charging them to glorify God in how they lived their life. They had been saved from a pagan lifestyle of idolatry. They started following Christ and put their old live in the rear view mirror. Like all of us, that didn’t stop them from having a little self doubt from time to time. There was a temptation to quit or give up, but Paul pressed them to walk worthy of God…. They needed to be reminded of who they were and whose they were.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a new creation. You aren’t your old self anymore. You don’t have to stay in a pattern of sinful habits. You don’t need to make excuses or rationalize that you can’t change or this is just the way you are. You have been called to walk worthy of God and you are able to do that because of the work of God in your life. We all need reminded of that from time to time and we need folks in our corner exhorting, encouraging and challenging us. Who does that for you? Who do you do that for?

Father, thank you for the promise that if we are in you, we are a new creation. By your grace today, let us walk and talk as new creations. I pray that we would walk in the victory that you have provided. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Weeping for Enemies of the Cross (Philippians)

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Philippians 3:17-18 ESV Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (18) For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Several years ago I was cutting the grass. When suddenly my wife came in the backyard and took a picture of me. I thought it was weird that she was in such a hurry to snap a picture until I turned around and saw my little son pushing a toy lawn mower behind me. He was walking in my footsteps. He wanted to be like his dad.

Paul reinforces and encourages the church at Philippi to imitate him and those like him. Growing in Christ often looks like taking steps behind those the Lord has put in our life as examples of godly living. It’s one thing to be told that you should have a personal quiet time every morning. It’s another to be on a retreat and have an older friend in the Lord invite you in to see how they begin their day in the scriptures.

Paul also was crying as he wrote this. He was crying because there were folks he knew that had come in and were preaching a gospel of works. They were examples to many people, some perhaps had even left the church to follow after these teachers. Paul reminds us that not everyone who has a platform is worth following. There were some false teachers who weren’t worth following. The folks at Philippi needed to be careful about whom they imitated. Yet even in sharing his sorrow, Paul demonstrates a godly reaction to those who had made themselves enemies of the cross by teaching a system of works… tears.

Father, thank you for the gospel. Thank you for mature believers in Christ who can demonstrate the practical application of your scriptures and who exhibit godly lifestyles. May there be many who walk in their footsteps towards a mature faith in Christ. I confess I haven’t wept enough for those who have made themselves enemies of the cross. Thank you for the reminder today that while they may persecute us, they are not ultimately our enemies, they have made themselves your enemies. I pray for grace that they may have a Damascus road type conversion for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

I wrote a expository devotional all the way through Philippians. You can find it on the devotional page.

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Every Body Needs Coaching (Ephesians 4-6)

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Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Every good team needs coach. The coach is the one who puts all the players into perspective. He/ she evaluates players different skill sets, teaches the fundamentals, keeps the team in shape, and works the team through practicing the plays. Then on game day the coaches determine who plays, when they play, and what plays to run in a given situation. If coaches do there job well, the entire team does well.

The Lord has given us coaches within the body of Christ who are there to help us develop and coordinate our individual gifts for the sake of the whole body. The goal is to bring God’s people to maturity both individually and corporately. Pastors/ teachers are not there to simply educate or inform us, but to equip us for the work of ministry.

Sometimes a congregation can expect one or two individuals to do everything. They imagine that they pay the pastor(s) to do all the work. That would be like paying a coach to play the game while the rest of the team sits on the sidelines and criticizes him/her. That’s not a healthy team and it’s not healthy when a church operates that way. It’s healthy when you and I exercise our gifts in relation to one another for the glory of God. Some encourage, others serve, still others figure out administration, others teach, and others still offer hospitality, etc. and the pastor encourages and equips so that nothing is missing from the people of God. We are all well trained, well loved, well encouraged, and we mature and help others mature in the faith.

Father, thank you for the grace of one another. Thank you that Christianity isn’t an individual event, but that you have called us together and placed us with in the context of one another to form your church. I pray that we would know and exercise our gifts in relationship to one another in such a way that everyone is encouraged, strengthened, and growing in the Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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(Ephesians 1-3)

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Ephesians 1:22-23 ESV And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 2:20-22 ESV built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul uses three different metaphors for the church in the book of Ephesians (the Body of Christ, the Building/temple of God, and the Bride of Christ). He uses two here in just the first few chapters. He is demonstrating who the church is and how it relates to the Lord.

In the first metaphor the church is the body of Christ. This understanding is fleshed out further some of Paul’s other writings. They key takeaway is that the head of the church/ body of Christ is Christ himself. The whole church answers to Jesus Christ as the head.

The second metaphor relates the church as a living building/temple. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. The cornerstone was the most important stone in the building. Every other stone would line up in relation to the cornerstone.

The point of both of these metaphors is that Jesus Christ is a big deal. The church exist by him and for him. We all line up together according to His purpose and will. We are united in our relationship to Him.

If we aren’t careful we’ll get off track. We’ll anticipate that the church is something else entirely. We need to be reminded that Jesus, not the pastor, not the deacons, not the Sunday school teachers, is the head of the church. It’s not my church or your church as much as we are His church.

Father, thank you for the grace of one another day. Thank you for your church and how you use us to minister to one another. Thank you that we don’t line up to each other, but that we all line up to you. Show us what You would have us to do today. May we all be humbly submitted before you this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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We Reap What We Sow (Galatians 4-6)

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Galatians 6:7-10 NKJV Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Several years ago I set up a small garden in our back yard. I read up on gardening. I built a raised bed, purchased good soil, worked in compost, and even let a few night crawlers go that were left over from a fishing trip. Yet all of that study and preparation didn’t produce any tomatoes. It wasn’t until I planted tomatoes that some time later saw tomatoes growing in my garden. What get’s planted is what get’s harvested. I could have done all that preparation and planted something different. I could have left it to the birds and wind to plant and I’d have a garden bed full of weeds.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that what we sow into our lives is eventually what we will reap. There can be a lot of waiting between sowing and reaping. We are reminded that everything that we intentionally place into our lives or do for the glory of God will produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

This should encourage us in three ways. One is to sow to the Spirit. We should do the things that please and honor God knowing that this will produce the fruit of the Spirit. Second, we should continue to sow to the Spirit with patience. Just as a farmer waits for the crop to germinate, push through the soil, and finally produce fruit, we often reap the greatest fruit long after a seed has been planted. There are verses of scripture that I memorized as a child or teenager that are still being called to mind and producing fruit in my life today. Third, we need to be diligent to take every thought captive, knowing that even small seeds sown to the flesh will produce a harvest and create chaos in the garden of our lives.

Father, thank you for you Word. I rejoice that we have freedom in Christ to take every thought captive and ask that you give me grace to filter can catch anything I would be sowing to my flesh. I also rejoice that what we sow to the Spirit produces real and lasting fruit in our lives. I pray that I would live a Spirit filled and empowered life where the fruit of the spirit is evident in my life. IIn Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Playing With Wrong Motives (Galatians 1-3)

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Galatians 2:11-14 ESV But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Growing up I used to love to play basketball. I would always go to the park and play pick-up games with whoever was there. Normally I was a really good team player. I’d set picks, pass the ball to my teammates, played an aggressive defense, and took good shots. Yet, whenever the girls would come to watch some of us play, my game changed. I didn’t pass the ball as much and I took way too many bad shots. The reason was simple. I wasn’t playing to win anymore, I was playing to impress the ladies. I was playing with the wrong motives.

Cephas was a leader in the church who was acting hypocritically. Even though he was from a Jewish background, he was visiting and eating in the homes of the gentiles on a regular basis (A great thing for pastors to do.) It was a very real demonstration of how we are saved by faith in Christ and not the rituals that we keep. Yet when the Jewish folks came from headquarters, Cephas began playing a different game and no longer went to eat/ visit with the gentiles. So much so, that other folks who were looking to Cephas as an example stopped hanging out with the gentiles as well. This was a problem because it also communicated that the faith of the gentiles was inferior because they weren’t born into a Jewish family and they didn’t keep all the religious customs of the Jews.

Paul knew better, he’d fought many battles with folks who’d antagonized him on this issue, been to the first ever church council to clarify a major doctrine, and had seen many gentile believers firmly established in the faith. Yet now he encountered a church leader who had changed the way he was doing ministry and it was hurting the church. Paul called him out on it publicly because it was a public issue that affected the entire church. Public sins should be dealt with in public, private sins should be addressed in private.

This isn’t just an issue for church leaders though. Each day we have an opportunity to live a clear gospel witness. Indeed through the great commission we are called to take the gospel to the whole world. We may encounter some situations where we find ourselves hiding or muddying the waters on the gospel in order to fit in with the crowd. In such instances we may be playing to an audience rather than running the race the Lord has put before us.

Father, thank you for the grace. Thank you for friends and ministers like Paul in our lives who will call us out in our sin for the sake of the gospel. I pray that you give us wisdom and courage to live a clear gospel witness in whatever we do. Give us wisdom in living out a clear gospel witness today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.