Posted on Sep 8, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, athlete, devotion, ever faithful, faithful, farmer, harvest, Jesus Christ, planting, reaping, soldier, sowing, watering
The Farmer Part 3
Watering the Seed: Digging Ditches
The Farmer has a responsibility to feed and water the seeds planted. It should be our joy when we see a new faith take root to endeavor to grow our new brothers faith in Christ. Watering is a tricky thing, as it usually requires a source greater than man can carry or provide. Ancient cultures would usually have two options: Rain form above, or a river from below. To properly water a field large ditches would need to be built. These ditches brought water to the fields so the seeds could drink and receive this necessary component for growth.
Posted on Sep 3, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, Apostle Paul, athlete, competiion, devotion, enemy, Ephesians 6:10-20, ever faithful, faithful, faithfulness, God, justification, obedience, race
The Athlete Part 2
Open Competition
The church is a church of athletes, we are continually running our race, boxing with the flesh and competing with ourselves for the prize of hearing God say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant (
Matt. 25:23).” But we do not compete by ourselves, we have other more nefarious enemies to contend with. They too serve a master and his name is Satan. They claim to serve themselves or perhaps no one, but we the Christian know that while some may claim that there are no “sides” and no “Teams” we truly know there is. You are either a slave to the world, to the flesh to death or a slave to Christ and there is no in-between (
Rom. 6:15-23). We compete in this day and age not against governments or policies, not against taxes and legislation, we compete against teams of a different nature altogether (
Eph. 6:10-20).
What are the other teams? It would take me more than a lifetime to go through all of them but some of the major contenders of this day are Pantheism, Secularism, and Relativism. Pantheism is to make the world God, Secularism is to make science God, and Relativism makes self God. All of these things are our competitors and yet they follow only one rule that of Idolatry. The Christian must be well drilled to deal with these cheaters but here we must make an important choice: Will you follow the rules or will you try and subvert them?
Read more…
Posted on Aug 31, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, athlete, devotion, faithful, faithfulness, farmer, service, soldier
Day 1: Ever Faithful
Paul begins this chapter encouraging Timothy to be strong. Paul called for strength no less than twenty-five times throughout his letters to Timothy. This call is not just for Timothy, but it is for “All faithful men.” Let us pause and consider what that truly implies: Paul did not say powerful men, he did not say wise men, and he did not say charismatic men. He says FAITHFUL men!
The Greek word “Faithful” is “Pistos” and it describes “one who readily believes.” This word is also a business term for someone who is dedicated to their work and can be trusted to fulfill their duties. God needs men who are consistent. He is not looking for intelligence because God takes the foolish things and confounds the wise (1 Cor. 1:26-31). God is not looking for the strong, for in our weakness He becomes our strength (2 Cor. 12:9). God is not looking for the beautiful, for He sees the measure of a man’s heart, rather than his looks (1 Sam. 16:7). Read more…
