Fourth Sunday Meditation: In Absolute Truth And Confidence

"And I will walk at liberty and at ease

for I have sought and inquired for and

desperately required Your precepts."

Psalm 119:45

II TIMOTHY CHAPTER THREE

At the time of the writing of this letter, the apostle Paul

was imprisoned in Rome under the emperor Nero. In this

excerpt he cautions his fellow missionary, a young man

named Timothy, of the importance of keeping his
mind focused on sound doctrine in

the uncertain and perilous days ahead.

Paul further expresses to Timothy the need to lean

his entire personality on God in Christ, in absolute trust

and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness, 

for God did not give to him, nor to we who believe

a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of

power and love and of calm, a well-balanced mind

and discipline and self-control.

"But understand this, that in the last days will come

perilous times of great stress and trouble, hard to deal

with and hard to bear.

For people will be lovers of self and utterly self-centered,

lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate greedy desire

for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters.

They will be abusive and disobedient to parents,

ungrateful, unholy and profane.

They will be without natural human affection, callous and

inhuman, relentless, admitting of no truce or appeasement;

they will be slanderers, false accusers, troublemakers,

intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, 

uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

They will be treacherous betrayers, rash, and inflated 

with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures

and vain amusements more than and rather lovers of God.

For although they hold a form of piety, true religion,

they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it,

their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession.

Avoid all such people, turn away from them.

For among them are those who worm their way into homes

and captivate silly and weak-natured and spiritually dwarfed women

loaded down with the burden of their sins and easily swayed and

led away by various evil desires and seductive impulses.

These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them;

they are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never

able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the Truth.

Now just as Jannes and Jambres* were hostile to and resisted Moses,

so these men also are hostile to and oppose the Truth.

They have depraved and distorted minds and are reprobate

and counterfeit and to be rejected as far as faith is concerned.

But they will not get very far, for their rash folly will become

obvious to everybody as was that of those magicians mentioned.

Now you have closely observed and diligently followed my teaching,

conduct, purpose in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness.

Persecutions, sufferings-such as occurred to me at Antioch, at

Iconium, and at Lystra, persecutions I endured, but out of them

all the Lord delivered me.

Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a

devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution,

will be made to suffer because of their religious stand.

But wicked men and imposters will go from bad to worse,

deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived 

and led astray themselves.

But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you

have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing

from whom you learned them.

And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of

and been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able

to instruct you and give you the understanding for salvation

which comes through faith in Jesus Christ, through the

leaning of the entire human personality on God in

Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power,

wisdom and goodness.

Every Scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration,

and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin,

for correction of error and discipline in obedience and in

training in righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to

God's will in thought, purpose, and action.

So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, 

well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Voice of Truth
Casting Crowns

*Although not mentioned in the Old Testament, according

to Jewish tradition these two men were the Egyptian court

magicians who opposed Moses.