Welcome to Day 14 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:14:
~
"Of these things put them in remembrance,
charging them before the Lord that
they strive not about words to no profit,
but to the subverting of the hearers."
~
Before we plunge into the "meat" of this verse, it is time for a quick review because the first part of verse fourteen says, "Of all these things put them in remembrance…." What things are we supposed to remember? Verses eleven through thirteen listed 
them for us:
- True living requires death to self
- Suffering (which will come) gives us eternal blessings
- If we deny Him, He will deny us
- And no matter what we do, He will always be faithful
Paul continues in verse fourteen: "…charging them before the Lord that they strive not with words not to profit, but to the subverting of the hearers." Clear as mud, right? If we use the original Greek to aid in defining, we find it says that we are not to focus on words alone because words have a tendency to hurt people and cause more damage than good. Words have the power to build up or tear down: "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing" (James 3:10).
James further spoke on this topic: "But be ye doers of the word [logos, meaning "Christ's expression"], and not hearers only…" (James 1:22). Ever heard the saying, "Actions speak louder than words?" It’s true! Don’t just say that you believe in Christ—show it. How can we show the Lord that we love Him through a specific action that exceeds the effectiveness of words?
…. The answer is in tomorrow’s verse!
~ Kendalyn Kowalchuk
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January 14th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Thank you so much for what you have shared, Kendalyn! It is all so true. This verse has been a good reminder to me of how important it is to God that we desire Him to “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Ps 141:3) and speak only those things that are pleasing and honoring to Him and encouraging and profitable to others!! As Christians, we need to keep on using our words to build each other up! God’s blessings on your day!
January 14th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Thanks for your thoughts Kendalyn! A very good reminder…I agree with Sarah-it’s only through God’s help that we can control the words we speak and make sure what we say is what GOD wants us to say.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
That’s a great reminder, Kendalyn, to bring to remembrance the things that we’ve recently memorized! It reminds me how easy it is for me to forget to recall what I’ve committed to memory.
I think it’s neat how Paul is telling Timothy to continually be reminding other believers of the truths he is sharing. If anyone else out there is like me, things often seem to go in one ear and out the other. I get up and get on with day, forgetting to keep important truths in remembrance. It sure helps to be reminded once in a while. That’s one thing we can do with those around us, every single day, as we “exhort one another daily.”
January 14th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Intrigued by the word subvert, I began to realize profound truth contained in this verse. I had understood that we are not to strive about vain words but to instead subvert those who hear us. Taking this English word apart, “sub” meaning under and “vert” referring to change, I had understood that we are to strive to challenge others to change from the inside out.
However, now after looking at the Greek, I found that the verse really means that we are not to strive about words to no profit which subvert others. The Greek word for subvert is katastrophe and means to demolish, overthrow, or bring to apostasy.
This has caused me to really think about my words, especially the type of words mentioned that bring catastrophe to other’s lives spiritually–words that do not edify. Wow! This makes me deeply evaluate from here on out what I write in a quick e-mail, type in an IM, or flippantly mention.
Standing in awe at the depths of God’s Word,
~David Waller
January 14th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hey, that’s an excellent point, Dave! So, after our energetic discussion at dinner tonight I ended up being right after all.
Thanks for doing a thorough study of the Greek and humbly applying it to your life. It was a good challenge for me. Great comment.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Thanks for all the great comments! I tend to learn more from the comments which ignite further questions demanding answers than I do by working solely on my own. Praise the Lord for His Church where we can share insights we’ve learned and learn more about His character together and on our own, and not at all hampered by geographic location!
January 15th, 2009 at 8:08 am
I guess the biggest thing that has been going through my mind as I have been meditating on this verse is the fact that words can bring “life” or “death” to the people you speak to. As Kendalyn said “… they can lift up and tear down.” I want to use my words as a tool that brings life to others. Thank you SO much Kendalyn!!!
January 15th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Thank you, David, for the insights that you shared into the word subvert and its application to the verse. That word had puzzled me and I had not had an opportunity to look it up, so I enjoyed reading what you had found out about it. Now its position in the verse makes sense!
January 19th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
“Remember, and forget not.” (Deut. 9:7) Moses was telling the Israelites to remember and not forget the lessons God had taught them in the wilderness. It was good to be reminded of what we had learned in the previous verses of II Tim. 2. Thanks Kendalyn! I realized that I had begun to simply memorize the words of these verses without thinking of what they meant.
The Greek word for “subverting” is an English transliteration of “catastrophe.” Can you imagine! Our words, if used wrongly, can have the power to bring catastrophe to our hearers! Pro. 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” This is certainly an area I’m still working on, and it grieves me to think of times when I said something that discouraged or brought down another. May we each, especially in our families, be wise people who encourage and build others up to live to their best the life God wants them to live!