Equipped for Good Works

 Psalms 119:97-104; II Timothy 3:14-17

In both of these passages the importance of scripture is noted. The Old Testament law and precepts are told about in Psalm 119. The Psalmist here tells of his love of the law and how he meditates on it throughout the day. He tells how God’s commandments have made him wise, these decrees being his meditation. Not only does he study and reflect on the law – he applies it to his life –he acts on it. To keep God’s word, he holds back his feet from evil ways. The Psalmist rejoices in this understanding he receives which causes him to hate the false ways of the world.

II Timothy talks about the Old Testament scriptures along with the Gospels. He talks about the sacred writings that have been known since one’s childhood. These scriptures instruct one for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. This is where Paul declares that all scripture is inspired by God. Due to this it is a useful teaching tool bringing reproof for those who need it and correcting false ways but most important to train one in righteousness – the New Covenant of living in love.

Teaching us how to live in love, we are equipped – provided the knowledge and support to do every good work. Scripture along with help from the Holy Spirit helps us to live a righteous life of living the fruits of the Spirit so that our lives are able to produce good works. He tells how we can be proficient meaning competent or skilled at.

Through studying God’s word in scripture, we can be competent in living a righteous life equipped for every good work.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Join Me on a Lenten Journey

For those of you not familiar with Lent, it is a season of forty days, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others. Easter comes early this year. Many of us not brought up in this tradition can still embrace its emphasis of focusing on the gifts Christ has brought into your lives and finding ways to share the love of Christ to others. This emphasis of love goes along well with the beginning of Lent this year, Ash Wednesday, falling on all days – Valentine’s Day. So whether or not you plan
Read more

Setting Your Hope in God

 Disclaimer: Paul talks about the Rapture in this passage a concept I still struggle with. I believe that once you die you go direct to the Lord, so bodies awaiting till the rapture to rise is hard for me to grasp. I can see how Paul was comforting the Thessalonians here but was his concept correct? Add any comments you wish to this bafflement of mine. That said, I wrote this per the text. What do you all think? Psalms 78:1-7; I Thessalonians 4:13-18   The psalmist in Psalms 78 is not only telling his current audience to listen to his teaching but to pass it on from one generation to the next. Just like he has heard it from his ancestors, he asks the Israelites to teach them to the coming generations. They are to teach them to the children yet unborn so that these children will teach their children. Why? So, they should set their hope in God, not forgetting God’s works. Fast forward to the New Testament where Paul is passing on this hope to the Thessalonians. The question these bel
Read more

Do What they Teach, Not What they Do

  Matthew 23: 1-12; I Thessalonians 2:9-13   Jesus when he talks about the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23 basically says: “Do what they teach but not what they do.” What he questions most is their motivation. They do what they do to be seen by others. They wear fancy robes and love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect. All this Jesus sums up in the word pride or not being humble. He states then that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Years later Paul writes to the Thessalonians telling how he did what Christ had instructed. That he was humble leading a life worthy of God, his motivation being for God’s glory not his own. He tells that not only are the Thessalonians his witnesses of this but God also. They have seen how pure, upright, and blameless his conduct has been. He encourages the Thessalonians to do the same. To live a life worthy of
Read more