Today’s scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-17 (NRSV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (David Zier):
Ever watch the show Jack Van Impe Presents? He has been on TV for years. Van Impe analyzes the day’s events, showing how they align with scripture. He always emphasizes that the end times are here, or very near. He has been preaching this message as long as I can remember, which means the end times are always here, or near.
Today’s scripture tells us what will happen to us in the last days. I can see this scripture in a couple of different ways. Paul tells us to be steadfast in our discipleship journey, and concludes, “so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” When I read 2 Timothy 3, I don’t think Paul is telling us to focus on the end of the world, but to live a live in steadfast relationship with God. This should be our focus.
As I read this scripture during my own prayer time, I also see the “last days” as a warning of what can happen when I start to stray from God. These could be my “last days” of peace, or my “last days” of living a life of love and joy as God intended. When we become reckless, deceitful, ungrateful, inhuman, lovers of money, arrogant, haters of good, or slanderers, this takes us away from God, and it may seem like we are trapped in our own “last days.”
The next time I flip through the channels and see another episode of Jack Van Impe or read of another revelation story, will I look at it as another prophecy of the “end” like many others that seem to drag on and on, or will I examine myself and pray for discernment about how I am living, and ask “am I living my last days?”
Thought for the day: Am I living in my “last days”? How can I live a more purposeful, steadfast life for God?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.