Our passage today is 2 Timothy 2:1, 19, 22
When our children were younger, we attended a church where at every baptism, the pastor included these words in his baptismal prayer: "Lord, protect him/her from the perils of childhood and the temptations of youth." (I googled the phrase to see if I could credit someone 'famous' with it, but came up empty.)
That phrase has stayed with me as my own children experienced both the perils of childhood and the temptations of youth. Perhaps my pastor was thinking of these verses in 2 Timothy when he prayed over babies as they were baptized. It is near impossible to get through childhood without 'perils,' and 'temptations of youth' - they abound! So how does Paul tell his young disciple, Timothy, he should navigate these treacherous waters?
1. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (v. 1).
2. Cling to God's solid foundation and reject wickedness (v. 19).
3. Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (v. 22).
4. Call on the Lord out of a pure heart (v. 22).
Yes, the perils, they will come. And the temptations - they are all around us, even after we are fully grown and should know better. But God doesn't give up on us. He urges us to cling to Him. He is our solid foundation. Paul offers specific ways that we can cling: pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace.
How can I do that this week? Temptations will be waiting for me. You know what they are. Temptations to gossip, to laugh at another's failures, to look the other way when someone is cheating, to be silent when God is mocked, to envy another's success - and these are ones I can personally attest to!
Lord, help me to cling to you - to open my Bible and soak in your word, and then to live it out. Protect me from the temptations that will surround me - help me to call on your name. Amen.
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