Today's Reading:
2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Psalm 119:33-40
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
15
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to
you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus
Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us
eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and
strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Insight:
Of
all the scripture written by Apostle Paul, this chapter contains some
of the most difficult to understand and interpret. The passage must be
approached with care because it is a clarification of teachings he had
previously given Thessalonians when he was with them. The original
teachings are not available to us.
While we might not
be able to grasp all of what Paul is saying here, we can certainly
profit from the principles he gives to help them avoid being deceived.
He warns them that not every claim to Apostolic authority is true (v.2).
They should be careful to remember the teachings they received directly
from the Apostles (v.5), stand firm in them (v.15), and consider them
to be authoritative over competing or conflicting teachings and ideas.
He
tells them that false and deceptive teachers are marked by: a
rebellious spirit (v.3), a disregard for law and morality (v.3), and an
inflated view of self that has no reverence for God (v.4).
Self-deception, he says, results from delighting in wickedness, refusing
to love truth, and believing lies (vv.10-12).
Response and Action:
I
need to love and seek out the truth. Delighting in wickedness makes me
vulnerable to being deceived by lies, and it leads to an inability to
ever see or want truth. I must immerse myself in scripture in order to
know the words of Jesus and the teaching of the Apostles. I should be
extremely guarded against teachers who have an inflated view of self,
even if they claim to be teaching what the Bible says. I should watch
out for teachers who have a haughty spirit, demonstrate a low regard for
others, and are motivated by personal gain.
God
of Truth, I believe that Jesus, your son, is the way, the truth, and
the life. Help me to know him and follow him closely that I might walk
in your truth. Help me to hide your word in my heart, to read and
memorize the Scriptures, and to meditate upon them day and night. Help
me to discern lies and to delight in the truth. Help me to love and use
your word that I might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 4:1
1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out
into the world.
Resources:
Enemies With Smiling Faces
by Donald C. Posterski
No comments:
Post a Comment