Learning to be Strong

Scripture:
"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

Observation:
Living the life God has called me to is not an easy thing. There are so many things that serve as an open invitation to walk away from the call God has on my life. Pressures at work. Tension in my home. Desires for possessions. Lustful temptations. Tragedies.

Overall, I would say that I am fairly seasoned in my understanding of how to be strong in struggles of my flesh. I know how to let pressure overwhelm me. I know how to snap at my wife and kids as tensions build in my house. I know how to go in debt to by things I want. I definitely am well schooled at how to chase after things my eyes lust for. I have not trouble doubting God after a tragedy. It seems like those things came to me as I grew up just as walking did.

So what am I to do? How do I learn to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus? In 2 Timothy 2, I see a few choices I can make that help me start in the right direction.

Application:
I have to establish a missional focus for my life. In verse 4 Paul talks about how a solider does not get bogged down in the daily details of life. He stays focused on the mission handed to him by the one who enlisted him. This is a great struggle for me. Keeping a pulse on my personal budget, the enrichment of my marriage, the development of my kids, the advancement of my career, the maintenance of my possessions, and other things such as these can all come together and totally suck the life out of me. It is not that these are bad things. In fact, a healthy and happy life that is pleasing to God can not ignore these items. But, if they become my primary pursuit then I have placed them above God's call on my life. My life was bought by God for a price and sealed into His mission by covenant. I do not belong to me anymore. There is a higher calling. Keeping that calling front and center in my spirit, soul and mind is a critical element in staying strong in faith. God's power for me to live life as he would have me live it is always found on the battlefields to which he leads me. He promises to take care of the details of my life when I take care of the details of His plans for me.

I need to increase my knowledge. In verse 5-7 Paul points out 2 things that are essential to growing in knowledge. First he points out in verse 5 there are no rewards for shortcuts. There is just something innate inside a man to look for and exploit a shortcut to victory. When I think about athletes today and the steroid scandals that fact is really driven home. Even with steroids, professional athletes must possess great talent and be willing to invest long hours of working out with weights to be great. But steroids definitely do provide an edge; that little something extra. I fall prey to that in my life. I am always looking forward. The vision of where I am going can become compelling enough to create a desire in me to skip ahead. Second, he points out in verse 6 that I must live like a farmer. Farming is hard work and it is a never ending process. A successful farmer commits himself not to the selling of a commodity, but to the continuous process of preparing the soil, planting seeds, caring for the plants, reaping the harvest, and resting his land. So should I commit myself to growth in God. Every day of life should find me committed to preparing my heart, planting good seeds from God's word, caring for the opportunities He provides, reaping the benefits of obedience and resting in the goodness of His sovereign reign over my life. All of this will bring to me hope as I see fruit being reproduced in my life.

Finally, I need to just zip my lips. People will argue about anything. The world is full of people who have an opinion on everything. I sit back and listen to discussions. Often I feel this pressure to join in to offer my opinion. There is something about remaining silent that just feels wrong. It is not that I always want to appear smart in their eyes. Most of the time I genuinely feel that I am missing an opportunity to bring something to the argument that will impact a person or a group of people. But Paul points out in verses 14 & 23 that there is very little good that comes from most of these discussions. On any given Sunday I could spend all day discussing the finer points of grace versus law, predestination versus free will, drinking in moderation versus abstinence from alcohol, the last days are coming versus the last days are here and the list just keeps on going. People seem to sit perched, looking for an opportunity to start a discussion and are very willing to split from the church or split the church over some belief that at the end of the day really has no impact. I just need to stay quiet and focused. I would much rather sit down with someone who is hurting and love them back to the peace of God anyway.

Prayer:
This does not come as a shock to You but I have really been in a funk the past three days. I took a couple of shots from people this week that I let get the best of me. It is amazing just how frail my ego is. Please continue to help me continue to develop and grow stronger in my ability to stand firm under the relentless weight of life that continually presses down on me. Allow the words that You have spoken to me this morning to grow in my spirit. Bring Your mission for my life to the forefront of my mind. Let it become my all consuming desire. Prepare my soul, spirit, and mind to embrace the never ending process of growing in my faith and help me to learn when to speak and when to just be quiet.