Day 18
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine". (II Tim. 4:2)
Scripture Reading: II Timothy 4
I do not have any idea how many people will read this devotion, nor do I know how many receive them each week, but I doubt very many pastors receive them, and Paul was certainly addressing pastors in this
text. One of the wonderful truths of God's Word is this, even though it may be addressed to a particular person or group of persons, we all can receive some truth from it. What I want to emphasize this week
is the Word of God. Paul main desire was for Timothy, a young preacher, to emphasize in his ministry; the Word of God.
All believers must have a very high regard for the Scriptures in his or her own life and to be ready to share it when the opportunity arises. Just as godliness must be a desire for all Christians (I Tim 4:8),
so must we also have a desire, a hunger, if you will, for the Bible. We need to put God's Word to memory. I have found in these days of my life, that the recalling of Bible verses so refreshing to my heart
and soul. Because of my cancer, some days are not very good, and it means so much just to remember, to read, and to have read to me the Holy Scriptures. It also saddens me to realize that many Bible verses
that I put to memory in years gone by, I cannot now recall, even portions that were very well known such as Psalm 23, John 14:1-6 and many other verses throughout the Bible I have partially forgotten. Do
not ever give the Bible a secondary place in your life (Ps. 138:2). Maybe you never memorize Bible verses, but if you have, can you complete the following from memory?
Yea, though I walk through.... Psalm 23:4 (Can you quote the entire Psalm 23 from memory?)
Blessed is the man that walketh .... Psalm 1 Search me, 0 God.... Psalm 139:23, 24
Thy word have I hid.... Psalm 119:11 (This verse teaches the necessity of Bible memorization.)
For God .... what scripture verse? Let not your heart be.... Jn. 14:1-6 For all.... Romans 3:23
For the wages.... Romans 6:23
But God commendeth .... Romans 5:8
For if thou shall confess.... Rom. 10: 9-13
Could you lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without a Bible, but by memorization? These are verses I memorized along with many others through the years now I am not condemning you
if you do not know them, unless you were too lazy to do so. Possibly you never knew that you should be memorizing Scripture and have not done so, but I encourage you to do so now. Just as a Pastor
is to be in the Word to preach the word so also we must be in the word for our own growth, comfort, peace and guidance. Note the last verse of the previous chapter (3:16). It is very important! Fewer
and fewer people are in the word of God and rely solely on the preacher to feed him or her. To do so is a sure bet that they will be very spiritually malnourished and be a weak and sickly Christian,
and they will someday regret their failure.
Paul said : "Preach the word" I say unto you: get in the word, memorize it, study it, make it part of your daily life.
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (II Tim. 4:6,7).
This is the last book, or letter written by Paul. He is now in a Roman prison and has already been judged (4:14-17) and is waiting the executioner's sword (He would be beheaded, being a Roman citizen).
Paul could have written this last letter just a few days before his death, although he probably lived for a time (vs. 13) and he lets Timothy know, I am ready to give my life in death for my Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, I have finished my work. He has just given some last minute instructions to Timothy, his co-worker, emphasizing the need to preach the Word, for there would be many who would not
do so, but would only preach what people wanted to hear (vss. 3, 4). We see that Paul's message is one needed for the church today. Preach the Word!
Paul realized his race was done, he had been faithful and was now at peace and ready to die. It is interesting how he looked at his death. The word offered in verse six is the same word used for Israel'
drink offering which was poured out at the end of the sacrifice. Paul realized all the sacrifice was over (except of course his actual death) and he was ready to go. He says".... the time of my departure
is at hand (vs. 6b). The word departure is a nautical term, used in speaking of a ship, preparing to leave port and pulling up its anchor to depart. As he said in Philippians 1:23 ".... having a desire to
depart and to be with Christ ...." This was spoken during an earlier imprisonment. Paul looked at his death as departing the port of his life and arriving in heaven. His life was a battle, a battle against
Satan (Eph. 6:10-18) but now his good fight was over, something he had looked forward to for several years. About four years earlier Paul spoke of this very thing and Luke wrote it down for us in Acts 20:
18-27. Paul had been looking for this day for quite some time. Now he had finished, he had kept the faith, he was ready to go. He was looking forward to the rewards he had waiting for him in heaven.
Note Paul says the crown he was looking forward to was available to all those who love the Lord's appearing. So it can be for us today as well. We are ... heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ....
(Rom. 8:17). We have much to look forward to. Just as we get excited when we plan a long awaited trip and as the time gets close we can hardly wait. I wonder if we should not feel the same when death is near. It's something we have worked for, for
many years, we have possibly experienced hardships, trials, even possibly persecutions, and now we are going to leave that all behind, to go to our eternal reward. Should that not excite us? Are we ready
to go, through death or His coming for us (I Thess. 4:13-18). We get ready for all kinds of trips, short and long, but many fail to get ready for the most important one of all. Are you ready to meet the
Lord? I trust you are a believer, striving to live faithfully for Him. If you are not, will you accept Him today?