2 Timothy 4: 3-5.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and
wholesome teaching. They will follow
their own desires and will look for teachers who tell them whatever their itching
ears want to hear. They will reject the
truth and chase after myths. But you
should keep a clear mind in every situation.
Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and
fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
As you continue your Christian spiritual journey, understand
that many of the day-to-day cares of the world will not support your journey. You will need to interject God into daily human
rituals that don’t consider God first.
Think of your average day. If you
are in the habit of turning on the morning news, how many news shows begin with
a prayer? If you drive to work, how many of your fellow drivers are showing
love and compassion to you in their driving techniques? In school, do your classmates treat you with
love as a fellow child of God? As you
shop for groceries are your fellow shoppers behaving as considerate Christians?
The number of non-Christian images thrust at us every day
can be overwhelming. Whether you are at
work, in school, watching or streaming television or movies, on social media, shopping
for groceries, etc. you will see one common theme. The world does not openly acknowledge God in
many of our daily common activities. Our
government is not focused on incorporating Godly principles into how we are
governed. As Timothy states, we are
focused on following our own human desires.
How do we overcome the power of the World? It takes maximum effort and you must work at
it hourly. Not just every Sunday via
church services. The focus of the World is to tell us from a worldly standpoint
what we need and what we should do while we are alive in the world. We are bombarded with that message every hour
of every day. The focus of the World
does not include telling us to prepare for life after death through our
spiritual journey. How do we manage the
world around us? As Timothy says “keep a
clear mind in every situation.”
During the last year of my work career, every week I would
travel from Indianapolis to my last employer in St. Louis, Missouri. I would live and work in St. Louis during the
week and then return to Indianapolis for the weekend. When driving to and from St. Louis, my
journey on I 70 would take me past Effingham, Illinois and a large tall white
cross built next to the highway. 198
feet tall and 113 feet wide. Every time
I saw the cross it served as a reminder of where my focus should be as I
traveled to work or returned from my week’s work in St. Louis. It was a reminder that God created us and is in
control, even if we don’t acknowledge Him in our daily lives. The view of the cross was a” reboot” to my
mind allowing me to refocus and manage whatever thoughts were on my mind.
Timothy reminds us that it does take “work” to share the
Good News with others. Managing how the
world influences us takes work on our part.
We have to filter out what is not of God and search for what is of God
in every situation. Not all of us have
the luxury of seeing a nearly 200-foot cross to remind us to reboot and refocus. In your personal life seek to create a
visible landmark and reminder that helps you reboot and manage what you allow
from the outside world into your spiritual life. It could be a scripture verse you keep in
your pocket. Or it could be a Christian
themed bracelet or necklace that you wear every day. Whatever your choice, begin to manage the
world around you. Work at deciding what
worldly information comes into your world and what worldly information is kept
out. Work to keep a clear mind in every
situation.
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