The Good Fight
A girl I used to baby - sit, Kristen Hester Hicks, started a Blog Bible Study or she calls it Inductive Bible Study. Each week she is presenting a challenge for us to study. I've been wanting to do a Bible study own my own for awhile now, but always put "life" first...shame on me! But when I reconnected with Kristen on facebook and started following her blogs, I decided this was a challenge God had placed before me saying "hello...act on what you've been saying, woman"! So here it goes.
2 Timothy 4:1-8
(Easy to Read Version)
Before God and Jesus Christ I give you a command. Christ Jesus is the one who will judge all people - those who are living and those who have died. He is coming again to rule in His kingdom. So I give you this command.
2 Tell everyone God's message. Be ready at all times to do whatever is needed. Tell people what they need to do, tell them when they are doing wrong and encourage them. Do this with great patience and careful teaching.
3 The time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching. But people will find more and mroe teachers who please them. They will find teachers who say what they want to hear.
4 People will stop listening to the truth. They will begin to follow the teaching in false stories.
5 But you should control yourself at all times. When troubles come, accept them. Do the work of telling the Good News. Do all the duties of a servant of God.
6 My life is being given as an offering for God. The time has come for me to leave this life here.
7 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have served the Lord faithfully.
8 Now a prize is waiting for me - the crown - that will show I am approved by God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly will give it to me on that Day. Yes, he will give it to me and everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to His coming.
In other words...
Always be ready to let others see Christ in You. Let others see Christ by your teaching and example. Always be ready to encourage or rebuke with love and with patience. People will always be looking for answers that they want, answers that will justify their actions / thoughts and we need to make sure we stand frim and grounded in Christ so we are not pulled away. It's a daily fight for the life Christ wants us to live for Him, but if we keep our eyes fixed on Him and serve Him faithfully, we will be rewarded with the promise of heaven.
My thoughts...
Always be ready! I think not only do I need to be ready with answers, but also by my actions and my attitude. I can always give an answer, but if I am not living my FAITH out loud, what I say has no meaning. I have to teach and live my life with unwavering diligence. I need to guard my heart and thoughts from false teachers and the world - daily. I want to look back at the scars for Christ (and I hope I have many when my life on earth is done) and hear Jesus say, "well done my good and FAITHFUL servant".
Well, that is my first blog Bible study! I'm ready for the next one :)
Grace and Peace
