May 8, 2022

DO NOT STRIVE FOR WORDS OF NO PROFIT

2 Timothy 2:14-17a

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer.

Personal Challenge

There appears to be trend developing in the church that is very disconcerting. It is not a new thing because Paul is warning Timothy in the first century church against it. We have many people, almost all of them being men, pursuing intellectualism in the church. They are gobbling up every book, or in today's technology, every podcast that they can about God, about Jesus, about Christianity. These teachings, in and of themselves, are mostly good, but many are profane and idle babblings that will only lead the pursuer into more ungodliness. We are commanded to pursue God, not information about Him. We are commanded to be like Christ, not paint a picture in our head about Him through others' teachings and stop there. We are called to be a part of the great commission, to be loving our God and our neighbor, and to be God's hands and feet, not his encyclopedia. Living this way, being and doing a Christian, life, gives us the ability to not be ashamed of Him and to rightly divide His word of truth. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!