Strive for Understanding
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”…..”Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things”. II Timothy 2:1-2,7
Wouldn’t it be great if we could understand things so well, particularly spiritual things, that we could easily explain them to others? I find it not all that easy to explain spiritual things to folks who haven’t a clue as to scriptures, salvation, or sanctification. People who do not know the Lord, and especially those who have little to no spiritual knowledge, cannot understand the things of the spirit. Paul made that clear in I Corinthians 2:14 when he wrote that “the natural man (those without a spiritual nature given by God) receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. All sorts of folks will be glad to talk about “spirituality”, but not so much about Jesus. However, without Him, there is no true spirituality.
Paul had just admonished Timothy to reject fear and go in the power, love, and confidence that God had put into his heart. In doing so, he would go strong in the grace of Jesus Christ. As we get older, life becomes more difficult, and we need to gain God’s strength in order to stand firm in the Lord. The world doesn’t become more tolerant of believers, but less tolerant as the years go by. It is only the strength of God’ grace that can sustain the believer’s journey, both the physical and the spiritual journey. Trying to survive this sin-cursed world in one’s own power is futile.
All that Paul had taught Timothy regarding God’s word and the duties of the minister, Timothy was urged to pass these truths on to other men who were faithful, teachable, and able to teach others so that the gospel would gain ground among the Gentiles. It was very important for Timothy to ascertain the qualifications of those he would add to the ministry. God would choose those He desired, and Timothy would accept them upon demonstration of their faith and willingness to be leaders in the church. Not everyone who seeks a position in the church is called by God, and it was Timothy’s task to “weed out” the self-seekers. Jesus said in Matthew 7:6 to not cast your pearls before swine, that is, don’t give your valuable truths of God to those who blatantly reject God and His word or twist His word around and make it into something that it is not.
Paul also urged Timothy to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (v. 3). There has always been and continues today a war being fought between good and evil. It is rather obvious to anyone who is paying attention. Those on the side of good, believers in Christ, are soldiers whose duty is to stand firm, hold off the enemy, and promote righteousness. The life of a soldier is not an easy life. He or she may be attacked on every side. It is the same with believers and especially ministers of the gospel. Endurance in the cause of Christ and righteousness is vital to victory over the enemy for he is relentless. Believers can’t let down their guard for a moment. A soldier’s duty is first to the mission. His loyalty is to his country and his obedience is to his superior. A believer’s duty is also to the mission of spreading the gospel, his or her loyalty is to the gospel, and his or her obedience is to Jesus Christ, the Commander and Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). Like the soldier who has to put aside home, family, and career in order to serve his nation, the believer must not let worldly pursuits keep him or her from their duties as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a Christian first, then a spouse, parent, relative, friend, neighbor, and worker in the secular world. As the first commandment states, there are to be no gods other than God Himself. He is the Head of His army of dedicated believers from whom He is to receive obedience, service, and worship. He is the One whom we are to please, not self, family, or the world. A military soldier does not fraternize with the enemy, and neither is the believer to fraternize with sin. Both are highly dangerous paths to avoid.
Even in combat, there are certain rules of war which armies of all countries are to follow. In the Christian realm there are also rules that God has ordained by which His followers are to live. We have the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) which set the standard of how men and women should conduct their lives as it relates not only to God, but other humans as well. Jesus shortened these ten to two commandments: “love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and you neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 22:37-40). A believer can’t consistently violate these commandments and expect a great reward. A Christian should strive for excellence, not for his or her own accolades, but rather to please God to whom he or she is accountable. When we obey and live as God set forth in His word, then, when we leave this world, we can look forward to all the blessings and rewards that God has designed for us. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that when we believe in God and diligently seek to do His will, He will reward us. That is not hard to understand.