Friday, January 8, 2016

Consider What I Say 2 Timothy 2:7


As Paul shared three examples in the first portion of chapter two of his final letter to Timothy, he included the soldier, the athlete and the farmer, and in chapter two and verse seven of his final words to Timothy, he told him to “Consider what I say”, and asked “the Lord” to give him “understanding in all things” where we read:

Consider what I say; and the Lord give you understanding in all things.

The verse begins, “Consider what I say;” Paul began with the word, “Consider” which means “to perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding, to think upon, heed and ponder” “what I say” or “the things, words and ideas” which Paul “spoke, taught, advised, commanded, intended and mentioned”. Paul desired for Timothy to seriously think through the words he gave to him.

The verse goes on to say, “and the Lord give you understanding in all things.” As an additional thought to “considering” what Paul said, Paul requested, “and the Lord” who is “the one who possesses all things, master who is worthy of reverence and respect, and the title given to Jesus Christ the Messiah” “give you” or “bestow, grant, furnish, deliver, extend and present” “understanding” which is literally “a running together and a flowing together with” and means “knowledge, mental putting together and intelligence” “in all things” or “each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone and everything”. As Timothy “considered” Paul's words, he could rely upon “the Lord” to “give” him “understanding” in everything he needed to know.

While we think about Paul's words, we may be challenged to examine whether we have “considered” his ideas and thoughts. Do we “ponder” them and allow the depth of them to penetrate our hearts and minds? Do we pray for “the Lord” to “give” us “understanding in all things”? Rather than being in confusion and bewilderment over the issues in our lives, perhaps we will “seek to understand” the ideas Paul conveys, and may “the Lord give” us a free flowing knowledge “in all things” we encounter every day.

Next time Paul tells Timothy how Jesus was raised from the dead”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.




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