This past Sunday was one of the few times since we began The Story that I didn’t get to hear Sunday’s message live. So I listened to it on podcast, and came away encouraged to fight the good fight. I was also reminded again that our enemy would like nothing better than for us to give up! But beyond that I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit when Pastor Greg read Paul’s words to Timothy regarding those he shepherded, “They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations…” (2 Timothy 4:4-5)
Paul knew that Timothy was up against some of the same problems we have today. Itching ears, then and now, are nothing new. People like believing what they want to believe – about all kinds of things. Does it ever make you want to give up? To hope that someone else will come along to share the truth of God’s love with your friends and loved ones?
When I read this letter to Timothy, I can’t help but sense the intensity of the struggle that’s going on in Ephesus, in this church, in this young pastor’s heart. “Keep your head…” Paul writes, and I hear don’t abdicate your intellect and lose focus; instead, come to God’s Word continuously and drink deeply. Maybe it’s just me, but I have found that when the struggle is the fiercest, it’s the truth of God’s Word, filled with the sweet breath of His presence, that I most desperately need. It’s what gives me the courage and confidence to keep going.
King David once said, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” (Ps. 119:103-104) Paul and others who loved this young man Timothy must have often encouraged him to stay in God’s Word. And if he needed a reminder, I’m sure we all could use one, too! Even though our time in The Story is almost over, let’s keep our heads in God’s Word this summer!
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