Living the Journey

Drum roll, please …

Ladies and gentleman, the following list of individuals have successfully completed The Challenge by memorizing 26 verses in 26 days—the entire chapter of II Timothy 2! They have each demonstrated qualities of diligence, endurance, perseverance, and determination. This list of 58 young people does not include each of the Journey leaders who have also completed The Challenge.

Please join me in recognizing this remarkable accomplishment!

• Abigail DelMul
• Alicia Gomez
• Angela Hsu
• Anna DelMul
• Ashley Bellamy
• Barbara Sutton
• Bethany Vanderford
• Brandon Keilen
• Caleb Martin
• Carolyn Lo
• Christen Richardson
• Chrystal Dudley
• Daniel Leddy
• Danielle Pohlman
• David Peterson
• Dinah Espineda
• Elisa Joulfaian
• Elizabeth Corduan
• Elizabeth Kilpatrick
• Elizabeth Mientkiewicz
• Elizabeth Weaver
• Eric Barth
• Ernesto Gomez
• Gabby Ozuna
• Grace Ozuna
• Hannah Espineda
• Hannah Sims
• Hope Linton
• James Staddon
• Janine Noble
• Jessica Baarbe
• Jonah Espineda
• Jonathan Kilpatrick
• Jonathan Staddon
• Kayla Hills
• Kayla Whaley
• Laura Dirksen
• Laura Johnson
• Laura McDonald
• Lydia Vanderford
• Marissa Youngman
• Matthew Garfat
• Maxwell Clark
  
• Melinda McAteer
• Melody Linton
• Nathanial Spiers
• Nekoda Cook
• Rachel Dudley
• Rebecca Cook
• Rebecca Westfahl
• Ryan Barth
• Sandie Jalbert
• Sarah Espineda
• Sarah Ferraro
• Sarah Poss
• Sarah Stelzl
• Shanna Thompson
  
• Stephanie Hills
• Tia McAteer
• Tim Edelblut
• Trina Thompson
  

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Congratulations on the accomplishment of memorizing a significant portion of the Word of God. A great Christian leader nearing the end of his life said; "If I had it to do over again I would memorize more of God’s Word." After thirty years of ministry I would say the same.

Today on a pastoral visit I stopped in the shop of a man in our church. He refinishes and restores furniture. He plays audio of the Scripture all day long, every day. This man knows the Word and loves the Word. It was a delightful visit. He was full of rich biblical insights. I went away with my heart just singing. When you devote yourself to meditation God will reward you with deeper insights and sweeter fellowship. You will be a blessing and help to others.

J. I. Packer said; "One of the many divine qualities of the Bible is that it does not yield its secrets to the irreverent and the censorious." In other words, you will never really understand the Bible until you are devoted to obeying the Bible. But if you are determined to obey the Bible, you will understand the Bible. Jesus promised this: If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine… (John 7:17)

A. W. Tozer said; "The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."

This kind of communion with God, rooted in the Word of God is what made the Journey so delightful. That is what I want with all my heart. I hope you do to.

Pastor Ken Pierpont
Evangel Baptist Church
Taylor, Michigan
www.kenpierpont.com

6 Comments »

It has been a lot of fun to join so many of you in the memorization of II Timothy 2 this month! I have been richly blessed by taking the time to meditate on God’s Word, search it out, and begin applying it to my life. The daily commentaries and comments were an inspiration to me and a joy to read. Thank you all for sharing!

26 verses in 26 days is not an easy undertaking. The knowledge that many others were also striving to accomplish this Challenge has been a strong motivation for me to apply myself in this very important discipline of memorization. Thank you for challenging me! 

Reporting Completion

If you have memorized II Timothy 2 and are able to quote it for memory, you can have your father or mother call the Journey to the Heart office on January 27th or 28th to verify successful completion of The Challenge. The number is 630-323-9800 ext. 522. You will receive a $26 discount off of a 2009 Living the Journey Conference and other rewards that will soon be announced. We’ll also recognize your diligence in memorization by placing your name on the elite list of winners, which will be published here at LivingTheJourney.com on January 31.

For those who weren’t quite able to complete The Challenge, don’t be discouraged! The effort you put into memorizing and meditating on God’s Word will have far greater rewards than I could ever give.

May God bless you as you put into practice the priceless truths of His Word!

3 Comments »

Welcome to the final day of The Challenge! Our verse today is II Timothy 2:26:

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"And that they may recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil, who are
taken captive by him at his will. "

~

In the preceding verses, Paul is describing to Timothy the attributes that should be displayed by a “Servant of the Lord.” One of these attributes is to be able, in a spirit of meekness (which is having your strength under the control of the Holy Spirit), to instruct those who oppose the teachings of Christ. That they might, ironically, obey the Command of Christ to repent.

In verse 26, Paul states that those who repent will be saved from the “snare of the devil.” I believe, that the snare of the devil, of which we are warned of in various places in Scripture (e.g. Ephesians 6:11 and I Timothy 3:7), is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (See I John 2:16.) The real problem of those who oppose Jesus Christ, and the problem we had before we came to faith in Christ is…US! That is why Jesus came to deliver all those who want to be free from the consequences of falling prey to our own lusts. For if Jesus Christ is not the Lord of our lives we are taken captive by Satan whenever he desires to use us for his purposes.

In light of this verse, there are three questions we all should ask ourselves.

1. Have you fully surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? (Phil. 2:11)
2. Are you displaying the character of a “Servant of the Lord”? (2 Tim. 2:24-25)
3. What steps have you taken to prepare yourself to be able to instruct, others in order for you to disciple them? (Heb. 5:12-14, Matt. 28:19-20)

~ Jordan Webster

2 Comments »

Welcome to Day 25 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:25:

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"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;
if God peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth;"

~

This entire chapter is devoted to the training of disciples. In verse 25, Paul is getting to the specifics of how we are to disciple. We are told that we must be meek or humble when we are instructing "those that oppose themselves." These people are actually in opposition to God, and thus the verse continues: “if God peradventure would give them repentance.” It is not us that gives a person repentance, but rather God. Repentance will lead to an acknowledgement of the truth.

For twelve years I directed a facility working with troubled youth. One mentor was a young man who particularly stands out in my memory as being very effective with the troubled young people that he worked with. I began to observe why he would be so effective and soon I discovered the reason. He never told the person what he thought about what they were doing. Instead, he shared what the Scripture taught in relation to their wrong actions. The person could not argue with him, but would rather find himself arguing with God. God would then give this troubled fellow repentance and he would acknowledge truth.

~ Bob Norvell

4 Comments »

Welcome to Day 24 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:24:

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“And the servant of the Lord must not strive;
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,”

~

In the verses surrounding this one, Paul is laying a foundation of character for anyone who is looking to be a “vessel of honor, useful to the Master.” In verse 24 specifically, he zeros in on a main flaw in many Christians lives: strife.

He uses the strong prohibition “must not” to describe how striving (quarreling, arguing) cannot be a part of the life, character, or attitude of “a servant of the Lord“. In regards to the quarrelsome spirit rebuked by Paul in this verse, Matthew Henry states, “Nothing worse becomes the servant of the Lord Jesus, who himself did not strive nor cry (see Matthew 12:19), but was a pattern of meekness, and mildness, and gentleness to all . . . .”

But Paul doesn’t stop with the prohibition, he goes on to give several prescriptions: what we are to do instead of quarreling. We are to replace the quarrelsome attitude with one of gentleness and forbearance, and be willing, eager even, to teach the one who may be inciting us to argue.

In meditating on this verse and thinking about how God would have me apply it to my own life, I immediately thought of my relationships with my brothers and sisters. I know for myself there are countless times when I am tempted to be short with a younger sibling as they ask for help with something, but according to this verse that would be the perfect opportunity to exercise gentleness towards him or her.

Is this something that your family would say you do on a daily basis? Exercise gentleness towards them? There will be many different ways that the Lord would have you apply this verse to your life, but the underlying principle remains the same. If we are to be qualified “servants of the Lord” we MUST not strive, but instead be characterized by gentleness and patience.

It is my hope that each of you would take the time to meditate on this verse and ask the Lord for a personal application for your own life in the days ahead.

~ Jessica Garner

3 Comments »