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2 Timothy 3 Devotional – Day 3

ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness

GOD IS TRUE The God revealed in Scripture is real, and all other gods are idols. The God of the Bible is the one true God and not a god among others. He is the one and only.

Jeremiah 10:10–11 – The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. . . . The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens. 

John 17:3 Jesus says to the Father, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 

Praise God that He is the Only True God.
Praise God that His power is unmatched. Praise God that He is not one of many gods to choose from. Praise God that He has made Himself known and revealed His uniqueness in the bible.

CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100

SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.

  • Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
  • Pray for your friends who do not know Jesus. Ask God to strengthen your friendships and to give you opportunities for gospel conversations.

SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Timothy 3 – New Living Translation

The Dangers of the Last Days
3 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of[a] vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) 8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. 9 But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.

Paul’s Charge to Timothy
10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
The power of truth. Consider Scriptures, origin, value, and impact. The human authors were not “mind-numbed robots.” God used their experiences, personalities, and individual distinctions to write Scripture. Scripture is “God-breathed” (a word only used one time in Scripture) so it has God as its ultimate author. If you struggle to get, accept or believe this “divine/human” source for Scripture it is likely you are underestimating God. How complex would it be for him to pull this off? Since he has created the cosmos by his will and power, how challenging would it be to ensure that we have access to his very own words in the words of Scripture? In regards to Scripture’s value, it tells us the most important things that we need to know cannot be discovered on our own. We can discover some very important things…antibiotics, electricity, etc. We cannot discover the most important things…who are we, what is our purpose, what is our destiny, how can we be saved? Finally, Scripture’s impact means that it can make us “complete, and ready for every good work.” This applies specifically to Timothy as a pastor who has all he needs to fulfill his calling as he learns and applies Scripture. It applies to each of us as we live faithfully in our own calling as well. It won’t tell you how to run a computer program, perform surgery, or work on a car engine…but Scripture will tell you how to live with gospel purpose as you do these things. Most important of all, it tells us how to have relationship with God. This is foundational for every single aspect of our lives.

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