For All To Know

DEVOTION
2 TIMOTHY
FOR ALL TO KNOW

2 Tim 3:10-11
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
NIV
Although this is a personal commentary about the author of this letter, it also certainly has something to say about the type of life I should be living and how I should be living it. Other people need to hear about my teachings; of course they were not Paul’s nor are they mine, but rather those of Christ Jesus. However, the point is what good and I doing if I am not teaching others. If other people do not know about my way of life I am not living it out loud and in front of them. I need to express my purpose to other people, other believers and well as non-believers. People need to know my purpose for life, the reason I do want I do. Why do I preach his word? Why do I teach? Why do I write and endeavor to publish books? What purpose is all this effort for? I need to let people know it is to bring glory to my Lord. It would be a whole lot easier to just do none of that and live my life alone, and private, away from other people, but that is not what God has called me to do. I have to live for him, doing his will, and I should live in a manner others know about my purpose. They should also be aware of my faith, my trust in God for all aspects of my life. I do not live in the same way others do, and I should be vocal about my faith more. I am not sure I have enough patience that people could know about, other than the patience to continue to express the truths of God over and over again without seeing any results for my efforts. I wonder if that is why some preachers have altar calls, to see results. How do I know if anything I say or write has any impact on the lives of those who hear my voice or read my words? I don’t and I suppose if I were not a patience man, I would have given up long ago, but I cannot, for it is God who drives me, not the results. I think others know about my love for them, I need to tell them more. Maybe I do not do things for them in a physical sense, but my love for them is expressed in what I believe is the best thing for me. I show my love by encouraging them, building them up, lifting them up with the word of God, giving them truth which can set them free from the stress of this world. They surely need to see that I have not given up, that I have the endurance to finish the race, no matter what live bring my way. Although my life is not anything like what Paul had to endure, I think some day that might happen to all of us believers. The main point I take from all this is to be open with my life, doing God’s will out loud, being what he wants me to be and being that for all to know.