Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion - March 7th - 2 Timothy 2:20-21

0:00Welcome to Be Still and Know, I'm Jonathan Edwards and this is our opportunity to hear what God is saying to us today. Two Timothy chapter 2 verses 20 and 21. In a wealthy home, some utensils are made of gold and silver and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honourable use. Your life will be clean and you will be ready for the master to use for every good work. Here Paul is describing the church. It's made up of very different people who have a wide variety of roles. Paul's concern was that Timothy should live in a state of constant readiness for whatever God want him to do. And this would only be possible if he kept himself pure.

1:01Paul had his eyes wide open to the challenges that Timothy would face as a young leader in a non-Christian and largely anti-Christian society. He knew that Timothy would be tempted each day to compromise and to slip back into his old ways. Paul would say exactly the same to leaders today. Our society is driven by lust for money, sex and power in just the same way as Roman society was. It's expressed in completely different ways, but the challenge to keep pure is as vital today as it was then. The devil does an amazing job at making purity sound dull and joyless because the truth is the exact opposite. Purity is the root to living life to the full. And Paul was eager that Timothy shouldn't settle for anything less than the best. Paul's prime desire for Timothy was that he should always be ready to do what the Lord wanted him to, and I've no doubt that this is our greatest desire too.

2:02We want our lives to count for something. We want to do things that will be a lasting blessing. To use Paul's language, we want to be like a household utensil that's ready to be used. We need to work hard to ensure each day that we stay clean in a polluted society which will try every day to make us mucky. So let me ask you the crucial question, what do you do each day to help you to stay clean? And now let's pray together. Lord God help us to live so close to you that will always be available for you to use. Oh man, well I'm so glad you've joined me today.

3:07I encourage you to join me every day for be still and know here on Premiere, or you might like to join the thousands of people who listen to this on podcast, which is of course available at any time. I hope you have a great day today, God bless you.