Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Dec 23, 2024 - Troublesome Times”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsTroublesome Times
Reading: 2 Timothy 3:1-9
To steel Timothy for coming troubles, Paul warns him that “in the last days there will come times of difficulty”(2 Tim 3:1). Times will be difficult because people will be horrible people: “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy”(2 Tim 3:2). The list goes on; each generation can see itself in the description. When people abandon God, their behaviors inevitably harm others and make it difficult for those who love him. We become entirely self-centered (“proud, arrogant”, v. 2“swollen with conceit”, v. 4), unconcerned with the impact of our behavior on anyone else. We give license to the most perverse desires we have, becoming brutal and desperate for pleasure. Hearts grow hard.
Two descriptions stick out to me. Some are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power”(2 Tim 3:4-5). Godliness should have a power behind it, prompting us to make change to serve God rather than our own desires. He warns of some who hypocritically appear to be righteous without the proof in their lives. The tragedy here is that they know what could help them (godliness), but they refuse to accept it. He then describes some who are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth”(2 Tim 3:7). Learning is not an end in itself. There has to come a time when we know so that we can live by what we know. It is no surprise that Paul is describing people who are less than spiritual (2 Tim 3:6), despite their constant pursuit of knowledge.
It is not hard to apply these descriptions to our time. The challenge for modern Christians is to be certain that we are not influenced by the lack of morality we see around us, choosing to live holy lives that lead others to Jesus. While watching out for hypocrites, we also must be certain that we never become them by sincerely listening to God and humbly admitting our failings.
-----------
One Thing to Think About: What is the difference between proper learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth?
One Thing to Pray For: Courage to face troublesome times and love those around me
