I was in church the other day and one of the speakers read the following passage out of the book of second Timothy:
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
2 Timothy 2:24-26
My first thought was, “Wow, what amazing clarity God’s Word offers to us in order to give us the best life!” To characterize “sin” as “opposing” ourselves is such a direct way to see sin for what it is—a self-destructive force. Sin is selfishness and it places us in direct opposition to God. To oppose God is to oppose ourselves because we are throwing our weight against every good thing in our life.
Jesus, who died a horrible death so we could have the very best life, desires the very best for us!
The world culture, our flesh, and our arch enemy, are constantly presenting God’s ways in every negative light possible. God’s presence and His ways are ALWAYS couched in terms to make us feel like we will miss out on the best things in life.
Isn’t that exactly what Satan did to Eve in the Garden when he told her that disobedience to God would make her wise and make her life better?
And—here we are—NOT better—but rather living with the consequences of opposing God. Do we want more of the tragedy that occurred in the Garden and continues to infect our entire world? My friend, Jesus gives those who choose His gift of salvation the opportunity to live a glorious life! Right before this passage about those who oppose themselves, Timothy wrote:
“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
2 Timoth 2:19-22
To live without opposing ourselves, we first must be born again. Then, we need to live in the passionate pursuit of God. God’s ways set us free from living in opposition to ourselves. Jesus gave us an amazing set of BE-attitudes to live by! When we live HIS way, our life overflows with purpose, love, wisdom, peace and every form of the eternal brands of goodness we were created to experience.
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Please 🙏 continue to pray for me. I’m having trouble functioning. I had cryoablation in August. I have occipital Neuralgia. I did good for awhile but my body continues to go down. For months. Please 🙏 for full healing ❤️🩹 so I can function. Thank you 🙏 . I worked very hard to get off many medications only to have to go back on them due to returning of Pain. I’m really trying
Praying!
🙏
God’s way is always best.
Yes!
can you go to heaven if you are born again but don’t know if you were baptized?
The Bible does not say you must be baptized to be saved; the Bible makes it clear that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. Here is a short summary of the verse for salvation and and explanation of what should happen when you are born again. Let me know if you have other questions because it’s important to know for sure that you will see Jesus after this life!
Plan of Salvation
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 We have all sinned.
“For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23 The punishment for sin is spiritual death.
“But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Jesus Christ died for us and paid for the price of our sins.
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. We have this precious promise of God.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
No special words will save you–it is only the complete surrender of your heart to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
“God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness – the gift of eternal life!”