God Speaks
You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. 3 They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. 4 They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God. 5 They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that.
6 They are the kind who craftily sneak into other people’s homes and make friendships with silly, sin-burdened women and teach them their new doctrines. 7 Women of that kind are forever following new teachers, but they never understand the truth. 8 And these teachers fight truth just as Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. They have dirty minds, warped and twisted, and have turned against the Christian faith.
9 But they won’t get away with all this forever. Someday their deceit will be well known to everyone, as was the sin of Jannes and Jambres.
10 But you know from watching me that I am not that kind of person. You know what I believe and the way I live and what I want. You know my faith in Christ and how I have suffered. You know my love for you, and my patience. 11 You know how many troubles I have had as a result of my preaching the Good News. You know about all that was done to me while I was visiting in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, but the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and those who decide to please Christ Jesus by living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate him. 13 In fact, evil men and false teachers will become worse and worse, deceiving many, they themselves having been deceived by Satan.
14 But you must keep on believing the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust those of us who have taught you. 15 You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: As I read Paul’s description of people’s behavior in the “last days,” I can’t help but think that he is reading our newspapers or listening to our newsfeeds. What he is describing in verses 1-9 and 13 is happening all over the world right before our eyes; this is true for both individual people as well as national governments. But I believe that God is in the process of exposing all this deception and corruption for us to face the facts and to promote truth and righteousness that honors Him. After listing about 20 ways in which people are going from bad to worse, Paul gives a concrete example of how charlatans draw weak people further into sin. Paul’s solution for Timothy is two-fold: Timothy was to remember what Paul had both taught and exemplified, and he was also to look to the Scriptures he had known from childhood for instruction in what was right and what was wrong, directions for how to get back on track, and training to keep doing right. Then Timothy and his church would be equipped to do what was wise and right going forward.
Prayer: Dear all-powerful and all-loving God, thank You that You knew all about what our sinful rebellion would look like in the “last days” even before You created us. You worked through the centuries to bring about Your perfect plan to save human beings by faith in the Messiah (Christ), Your only begotten Son, who took our place on the cross. Now, when we turn to Him in faith, You receive all our sin and give us all the righteousness of Christ–the ability to live the kind of life He did here on earth. Please keep Your followers alert to all the ways the world, the flesh, and the devil (the enemies of God) are working to deceive, distract, disrupt, and/or destroy God’s plan and His people. We need for You to show us ways to combat these strategies and give us the physical, emotional, and spiritual strength to do so. One of the weapons You supply is Your word, the Bible. Help me to not just know Your Word but to carry it out as well. Thank You for breathing Your thoughts into the minds of the writers of scripture. As a result, the Bible is the authoritative standard by which we can be taught what is right, be held accountable, be shown the right way to go, and be trained in right living. Thank You that through this process I will become a mature child of God who is thoroughly prepared for every good action You are calling me to take. All for the glory of Christ. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will reread this chapter, then admit and deal with any of the behaviors mentioned in which I have participated.
- I will ask the Lord for courage to expose any of these behaviors I know of but about which I have kept quiet. Then I work to correct them.
- I will join with others to study, memorize, and apply the principles of the Bible in my day-to-day life.
- I will join with others to take action against activities in my society that are opposing God’s loving plans for people.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.