Today's post is a re-post of
Nicky Gumbel/HTB's (Holy Trinity Brompton: http://www.htb.org.uk/)
'Bible in One Year' post for 23rd
October. I thought it really linked in well with yesterday’s post and gave
some good practical advice, backed up by scripture. Please read the majority of
the post below, or read the entire post online: http://acs.alpha.org/bioy/commentary/300.
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He is one of my great heroes of
faith. He was a model of godliness, faith and humility. God used
him greatly. When he died in 1982, his executors were unable to trace a
single member of his family still living. No one came forward claiming to
be even distant relations.
Yet, The Times obituary
about him rightly noted that his influence within the Church of England during
the previous fifty years was probably greater than any of his contemporaries.
John Stott, who was one of the numerous influential Christian leaders whom he
had led to faith in Christ, said of him, ‘Those who knew him well and those who
worked with him never expect to see his like again; for rarely can anyone have
meant so much to so many as this quietly spoken, modest and deeply spiritual
man.’
Why was this man, the Reverend
E.J.H. Nash – better known as ‘Bash’ – so greatly used by God? How can we
be used by God? It is no secret, the Bible tells us how.
St Paul writes, ‘In a
well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters,
but waste cans and compost buckets – some containers used to serve fine meals,
others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God
can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their
blessing’ (2 Timothy 2:20–21, MSG).
John Stott writes, ‘No higher
honour could be imagined than to be an instrument in the hand of Jesus Christ,
to be at his disposal for the furtherance of his purposes, to be available
whenever wanted for his service’. Being used by God starts with
dedicating our lives to him and then rededicating them regularly to his
service.
In the passages for today, we
see some of the characteristics that make us ‘useful to the Master’ and ‘instruments
for noble purposes’ (v.21).
1. Give to your enemy
‘If you see your enemy hungry,
go buy him lunch;
if he’s thirsty, bring him a drink.
Your generosity
will surprise him with goodness,
and God will look after you’
(25:21–22, MSG, see also Romans 12:20).
2. Watch your tongue
‘A north wind brings stormy
weather,
and a gossipy tongue stormy looks’. (Proverbs 25:23,
MSG).
If we want to change our
actions we need to start with our thoughts and words. In our New
Testament passage for today Paul urges us ‘Avoid godless chatter, because those
who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly’ (2 Timothy 2:16).
3. Avoid quarrelling
‘Better to live on the corner
of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife’ (Proverbs 25:24).
Avoiding quarrelling is also a
major theme in the New Testament passage for today. Paul writes, ‘Warn
them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only
ruins those who listen’ (2 Timothy 2:14). He goes on to say, ‘Don’t have
anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce
quarrels. And the Lord’s servants must not quarrel’ (vv.23–24).
4. Bring good news
‘Like cold water to a weary
soul is good news from a distant land’ (v.25). We are so privileged to be
able to bring the good news of the gospel. It is like ‘cold water to a
weary soul’.
5. Do not give way to the
wicked
‘Like a muddied spring or a
polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked’ (v.26).
Sometimes it is important to stand our ground.
6. Avoid the temptation
to seek honour
‘It is not good to eat too much
honey, nor is it honourable to seek one’s own honour’ (v.27).
7. Be self-controlled
‘A person without self-control
is
like a house with its doors and windows knocked out’ (v.28, MSG). We
should never be controlling of others. The person we should try to
control is ourselves. Self-control is one of the characteristics that
make up the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
8. Don’t worry about what
people say
We do not need to fear bad
publicity or slander. ‘Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an
underserved curse does not come to rest’ (26:2).
9. Endure hardship
Paul uses the analogy of being
a soldier (v.4). Soldiers have to endure hardship. He goes on, ‘therefore
I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too
may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus’ (v.10). Paul goes on to
say that ‘if we endure, we will also reign with him’ (v.12).
10. Avoid distractions
‘No one serving as a
soldier gets involved in civilian affairs’ (v.4a). We need a clear focus
and to avoid distractions that waste time. Paul reminds Timothy that
soldiers need to keep their focus and seek to please their commanding officer
(v.4b).
11. Keep to the rules
Paul moves from the analogy of
a soldier to that of an athlete.
‘An athlete who refuses to play by the rules
will never get anywhere’ (v.5, MSG).
12. Work hard
From the soldier and athlete,
Paul moves to the analogy of a farmer. ‘The hardworking farmer should
be the first to receive a share of the crops’ (v.6).
13. Meditate on God’s
words
Only God can give
understanding, but we have our part to play. Paul writes, ‘Reflect on
what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this’ (v.7).
14. Focus on Jesus
‘Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel’ (v.8).
The gospel is all about Jesus. Salvation ‘is in Christ Jesus’ (v.10).
15. Correctly handle God’s
word
‘Do your best to present
yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and
who correctly handles the word of truth’ (v.15).
16. Turn away from evil
‘Everyone who confesses the
name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’ (v.19). Repentance is
not a one-off act, it is a continuing attitude. It involves turning
away from wickedness (v.19) and fleeing ‘the evil desires of youth’
(v.22a).
17. Be a maintainer of
peace
Paul urges Timothy among other
things to ‘pursue ... peace’ (v.22) ‘Refuse to get involved in inane
discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be
argumentative’ (v.23, MSG).
Joyce Meyer writes ‘Strife is
bickering, arguing, heated disagreement, and an angry undercurrent.
Strife is dangerous and destructive. Strife is like a deadly, contagious
disease. It spreads rapidly unless it is confronted and stopped.’
Keeping strife out of our lives ‘requires willingness to constantly communicate
and confront issues ... I encourage you to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to be
a person who avoids strife and restores peace everywhere you go.’
18. Be kind to everyone
‘The Lord’s servant … must be kind
to everyone’ (v.24). Everyone includes everyone –
not just our friends, or the people we like, but all the people we come into
contact with during the day (especially those who are often unappreciated, such
as the person on the supermarket checkout, the person driving the bus, the
person on reception, the person who helps us on the phone …)
19. Learn to teach
‘The Lord’s servants must be …
able to teach’ and ‘opponents must be gently instructed’
(vv.24–25). Teaching is a specialist ministry but it is also the task of
every Christian. A key characteristic is gentleness. ‘God’s servant
must ... [be] a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly
but patiently with those who refuse to obey’ (vv.24–25, MSG).
20. Don’t be resentful
‘The Lord’s servant must … not
[be] resentful’ (v.24). Resentment poisons
relationships.
21. Hear the word of the
Lord
Jeremiah was greatly used by
God because as he said, ‘I have heard a message from the Lord’ (49:14).
Thus he was able to say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says’ (v.7).
22. Allow God to speak
through you
Jeremiah not only heard the
word of the Lord, he was prepared to speak it out and God spoke through him.
‘This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning
Babylon …’ (50:1).
23. Seek the Lord
Jeremiah foretold of the days
when ‘the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to
seek the Lord their God’ (v.4). Jesus says, ‘Seek and you will
find’ (Luke 11:9).
24. Bind yourself to the
Lord
This is the type of
relationship God wants us to have with him – bound together, walking closely
with him all the time (50:5). ‘Hold tight to God’ (v.5, MSG).
25. Find rest in the Lord
‘My
people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused
them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and
forgot their own resting place’ (v.6). The Lord is described as our ‘own
resting place’ (v.6), the place where we find rest for our souls (see
also 6:16).
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Which ones to you really struggle with? Choose between
three and five points maybe and try to focus on these. I in particular know
that God is speaking to me on points 10, 13, 18 & 25 (and many more, but
those have really been highlighted recently) and will keep working on them!
Blessings!
Ronell x
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