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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. 2 Timothy 3:11 http://www.dailybiblestudy.org
11 Persecutions, [diogmos] afflictions, [pathema] which [hoios] came [ginomai] unto me [moi] at [en] Antioch, [Antiocheia] at [en] Iconium, [Ikonion] at [en] Lystra; [Lustra] what [hoios] persecutions [diogmos] I endured: [hupophero] but [kai] out of [ek] them all [pas] the Lord [kurios] delivered [rhoumai] me. [me] KJV-Interlinear
11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! NASB Persecutions, 'diogmos,' means to put to flight, to pursue, to persecute relentlessly. Affliction, 'pathema,'; means hardships, something undergone, pain, suffering. These three cities, Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, are all in the province of Galatia and are part of Timothy's home turf. No doubt, Timothy having been with Paul for many years, witnessed all of the opposition and persecutions that were inflicted on Paul. And Timothy having been associated with Paul, also shared in those pressures. But in our study for today, the key phrase in the last of the verse, 'out of them all, the Lord delivered.' Despite all of the hardships placed on Paul, he remained in this life for as long as the Lord required of him. He has a mission, and that mission was not only to preach and teach, but to write for the benefit of many generations yet to come. That includes you and me. When you are born into this world you cannot possibly take care of yourself. You had someone else take care of and raise you, for many years, until you were then able to take care of yourself. For most folks that is anywhere from eight to twenty years, give or take. And if you have any age of significance, perhaps in your latter years from forty to a hundred (that should cover most older folks), then you can look back and perhaps see that it was not you who preserved yourself in this world, but things beyond you, namely God. We all have to face the stress of the world, sooner or later. For some the stresses come and go, for many the stresses seem to be constant. None of it is fair, but this is the devils world. And where Satan is, trouble is also. There will never be any such thing as a perfect world until the next universe comes into existence. We will always in this life, have the poor, we will always have death and sickness and bills and social problems and so forth. And if you look at it all with negativity, because you want better and better just does not seem to be anywhere near, then you will only compound the problems you have on yourself. But then, if you look at life as your own personal preparation for the next life, which it really is, then you have an objective and a goal, and certainly something that you can look to with a light at the end of your personal tunnel. There are two types of suffering in this life for believers. He first is discipline for correction and the second is suffering for blessing. In the first, you are spiritually out of line and need a nudge, either gentle of forceful, to get you back on track. Unfortunately too many folks need to be prodded over and over with greater force, and they still do not get it. For some, the gentle nudge gets them back with their daily studies. In the second, for believers that are advancing in their spiritual life, the suffering helps to keep their eyes on God and His purpose, and helps them to build up their faith and commitment in doctrine. This produces an even more accelerated spiritual growth for the individual. How can you tell which applies to your life? Well, what is the typical daily pattern of your life? What is your routine? What do you do each and every day with respect to doctrine, or what don't you do? Are you consistently in fellowship or out? And that should answer your question. Being a believer does not exempt you from the troubles of this world. Being a mature believer will not exempt you from the troubles of this world. No one can judge you based on the difficulties you have in life. Wealth and poverty, sickness and health come to everyone regardless of their spiritual status. They are not measures of ones spiritual growth. In Noah's day, all of the good believers died prior to the flood, leaving only Noah and his family to board the ark. In Elijah's day, believers were persecuted until there were few remaining. At the end of our own dispensation, the attitude toward Christ will dwindle, meaning that faithful believers may very well be gone from this world, even though many believers will be here for the Rapture, but they will be negative and stagnated in their spiritual lives. You cannot look at someone's appearance or checkbook and determine their level of spiritual growth. Gods purposes for us all are many and varied. But as for you, your goal is or should be, spiritual maturity, in preparation for you turn before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and your evaluation, and then eternity beyond that. Look to that goal, and that will help you get through anything that this world can throw at you. And remember one more very important principle. God has a purpose for your life, and as long as you are advancing toward that objective, nothing and no one can take you out of this life until God Himself is ready.
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
