Instructions for the Lord's Bond-Servants

The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
2Ti 2:24-25

Am I the Lord's bond-servant? Do  I do everything He asks of me without questioning? I believe that I still need to grow in this area. Paul lists some character traits of bond-servants of God:

1. Not quarrelsome: peace-loving
2. Kind to everyone, not just those we agree with
3. Able (and willing) to teach
4. Patient when wronged (no revenge)
5. Giving gentle correction to those in opposition to truth

We must also desire in our heart that God would lead them to truth and repentance. We must have a personal love and concern for them, not just a desire to prove ourselves right.

Lord, I give myself to You as a bond-servant. I ask You to rule my life. Please build in me these characteristics. I want to represent You to my family, friends and coworkers.

Guard the Treasure

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
2Ti 1:14

While the title may sound more like Pirates of the Caribbean, that a Bible verse, there is a similarity. Christians should be guarding the treasures of salvation and gifts of the Spirit even more closely than pirates would guard a treasure chest. But we have something far more powerful than canons and cutlasses. We are to guard this treasure with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord that we can never lose a battle when we rely on God.

Lord, I thank You for the treasures You've given me as a Christian. I pray that you would help me to always remember the value of these gifts and defend them. Help me not to be distracted by daily life.

Entrusting Our Lives to God

I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
2Ti 1:12

Can I say with Paul that I completely entrust myself to God? I tend to want to be in control of my own life. I want to make my own decisions. Yet I realize that when I completely entrust my life to God, it is so much better. He sees the future. He cares about me. He understands me intimately. Why is it so hard to give control over to God?

Lord, I surrender my life to You completely. Please show me any areas that are not completely under Your control. I am convinced that You do a better job of running my life than I do. Thank You for how much You love me and care about me. I'm Yours.

Not According to Our Works

God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity
2Ti 1:9

God has put a holy calling on our lives. He has called us to be different from those around us. He wants us not to be normal or average. He wants us to live our lives looking up and following Him. He wants our goals and dreams to focus on Him not on earth. He wants to give us a future in heaven. Yet, we may not credit ourselves that we've been called. It has nothing to do with what we've done or our performance. We may only boast in God. He's called us for His purpose, not our own. It's His plan that we're fulfilling. And, it's only by His grace that we can be good enough to fulfill His plan. We cannot save ourselves. Only through the blood of Jesus, can we be made clean from sin.

Thank You Lord, for calling me for Your purpose. Thank You for the privilege of walking with You. Help me to live only for Your purposes in my life. Thank You for the grace that changes me. Thank You for the gift of salvation. Help me to realize that there is no way I can earn that gift. I can only thankfully receive it and live out my life in thankfulness to You.

Power, Love and Freedom

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:7

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful
Jn 14:27

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, " Abba! Father!"
Rom 8:15

I the verse prior to 2 Timothy 1: 7, Paul reminds Timothy to rekindle afresh the gift that God has given him. He then reminds Timothy not to be fearful, but bold. When we are serving God, we can be bold. We don't need to be afraid of what people will think. We are only concerned about what God thinks. Our King is God, and if we're following Him, everything else will fall into place. We also don't need to fear what people will do to us. God is strong enough to protect us if He chooses to. If he chooses not to, we will only go to heaven to live in eternal bliss.

John 14:27 gives us the same idea. It also adds the idea of peace. Because we trust and follow God, we will have peace without worry and fear. Romans 8:15 adds another angle. We can have freedom. Fear enslaves us. Love frees us. When we offer our bodies a living sacrifice to God, we can be completely free. What a paradox! Being a slave to God, makes us free from opinions of people around us, fashions, fads, keeping up with the Jones's, fear-based religion, peer pressure, and our own unrealistic expectations. Now that's freedom!

Lord, help me to have the spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Help me not to live in fear, but to live in boldness. Help me to have your peace instead of worry. Help me to live in freedom serving You. I desire to be free of the chains that living here on earth can so easily encumber me with. I claim Your freedom for myself. Through Your power and the indwelling Holy Spirit, I will live in freedom!

Faith

Faith

Abolished Death and Brought Life

but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
2Ti 1:10

What a blessing! King Jesus has abolished death and given us life instead. Let's always live in that life.