Welcome to Day 17 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:17:
~
"And their word will eat as doth a canker:
of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;"
~
Thinking on this passage and the correlations between it and the New Testament in which I have been reading, I found a perfect example of words that "eat as doth a 
canker." First we must understand what "canker" means—the word "canker" speaks of the disease of gangrene. If gangrene is not quickly cared for, it will destroy the whole body, working it’s way to the very structure of our bones.
The example that I was thinking of is the Pharisees. Their vehement and hateful words were used to curse and accuse Jesus. This was their tool throughout the New Testament to try not only to trick Jesus, but also to destroy Him.
How did Jesus respond to these things? Jesus being the Master of meekness, responded in the power of love through the Word of Truth. We find the same situation with Jesus being tempted of Satan in the wilderness; the response was the truth of the Word of God as His weapon of defense. (See Matthew 4:1-11.)
We in our own personal lives must be careful to evaluate every word that comes out of our mouth, for it only is a proof of what is really in the heart. (See Matthew 12:34.) 
May our words be consistent testimony of Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
~ Nate Paine
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January 17th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Thanks for the insights Nate. It is so easy to use your words in ways that are negative or discouraging to others…sometimes without even knowing it. I personally need to make an effort to be a giver of blessing by what a say.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I must never cease to practice His presence. May I constantly remember that each word spoken is done so in the very presence of my Lord and Savior who lovingly died for my sin, my idle & unthoughtful words.
May this empower to be a minister of His grace.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Wow! That picture of gangrene is absolutely grotesque. Repulsive. It makes me sick in my stomach just to look at it. But it sure gets the point across! To think that words have the potential to destroy in a similar fashion!
By the way, I haven’t checked into who Hymenaeus and Philetus were. Does anyone know?
January 17th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
In regards to your question, Robert, that was actually the first thing I looked into this morning, because I too was wondering who they were! Mom asked it, too! It appears that they were probably some false Christian teachers in Paul’s day. The “Annals of the World” by James Ussher records that Hymenaeus is the same person recorded in I Tim. 1:20 whom Paul had delivered over to Satan, because he had made shipwreck of his faith. By being chastised, it was Paul’s hope that they would learn not to blaspheme. Hymenaeus and Philetus both denied the resurrection, saying that it was already past (as we will see in tomorrow’s vs.).
In looking up their names in the Greek dictionary of the NT, this is what I found: for Hymenaeus (2511) it says “an opponent of Christianity”; for Philetus (5372) it says “an opposer of Christianity.”
What a gruesome illustration Paul put them with! I pray none of us will fall guilty of speaking words that “eat as doth a canker”!
Well, that is what I found.
January 18th, 2009 at 12:25 am
While meditating on yesterday’s and today’s verse as I went to bed last night, the Lord brought to mind the verse from Matthew 12:35-37 “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” It is so vital to have my heart filled with the Word of God so that what comes out of me will be of Him.
January 18th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Thanks for sharing what you had learned about Hymenaeus and Philetus, Sarah. That was helpful. And the verse from Matthew 12 was excellent!
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm
All these Scriptures are so applicable! Being agriculturally minded, the idea of a “canker” makes me think of two things. First, the “cankerworm” (Joel 1:4) eating all the leaves off a plant (which leads to unfruitfulness and a slow death). Then there is the modern “canker” which is a fungal or bacterial infection in the bark of a tree which cuts off the flow of nutrients. Its best prevention is a vigorous, healthy tree with genetic resistance. Otherwise the only remedy is to cut off the infected portions (much like gangrene). Both “cankers” destroy fruit-bearing potential and easily lead to death. It is interesting that our best defence against “profane and vain babblings” that separate us as branches from the Vine is simply a stronger, more active connection to Him.