The passage I read was 2 Timothy 3:10-15
You can find that passage here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A10-15&version=NIV
The verse that most stood out to me in this passage was:
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
As I reflect:
Before my reflection even began, I was tempted to simply summarize this passage as, “though you will be persecuted, you must remain faithful to the Lord and the Holy Scriptures we have learned.” It seemed simple enough, but it didn’t leave much for reflection. So I took a look at the complete chapter to see it in context and that’s when I was reminded of the very first 2 verses that Ames College asked me to memorize, “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In reading that, I realized that even the above passage in 2 Timothy was inspired by God and was to be useful to me in some manner or another.
Verse 12 stood out to me. I am in fact currently being persecuted by several believers and non-believers alike and have found a certain measure of joy in it knowing that it means I am doing precisely what I am supposed to be doing. Upon several occurrences of recent persecution, I am reminded by a friend of verses just like verse 12 and the many others that tell me to rejoice in the fact that the cross does indeed separate me from the rest of the world in the way of persecution for faith. The cross is not offensive in idea, but in practice and in daily application the world finds the cross far more offensive than it admits. Even in a conversation with a professed Christian one can often easily find that they are offended by the cross when examining their conscious. This is one of the reasons perhaps that in witnessing, examining one’s own conscious is such an effective tool. As for my conscious, there are times…. Scratch that. On a pretty much regular basis, I question the fruit of my walk with Christ.
As a matter of assurance of salvation, I regularly look for the evidences of the importance and power of the Word at work in my life. In the passage read today, I can examine myself by comparison to the recipient Timothy. Timothy has been allotted the opportunity to receive and examine the teachings of God through Paul and how Paul has reacted to the resulting persecution in His life due to his faithfulness. I likewise have been given the opportunity to receive and examine the teachings of God through the entire Bible and I can compare myself to those many disciples that have come before me. In this event, I see Paul discipling another and being bold in pointing out the facts of the matter. “you WILL be persecuted”, “evildoers WILL go from bad to worse”, “continue in what you have learned”, “are to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Today I am reminded to keep to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and trust him fully in my persecuted state. I want to live a godly life. I want to make wise decisions by the Holy Scriptures being given life in my day to day. And I understand that this means I will be persecuted. As I began today’s reflection I tried to avoid the simple summary of, “though you will be persecuted, you must remain faithful to the Lord and the Holy Scriptures we have learned.” What I found is that there was nothing simple about that summary when I look at how it affects me directly. I may not have had a deep revelation today, but I have been reminded of the facts.
I am persecuted because of my faith. My decisions are made through the filter that is the Holy Scriptures. And my salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus. I must continue in all that I have learned from the Lord.
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