Welcome to Day 24 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:24:
~
“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
Welcome to the final day of The Challenge! Our verse today is II Timothy 2:26: ~ "And that they...
Welcome to Day 14 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:14: ~ "Of these thing...
Welcome to Day 10 of The Challenge! ~ And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge aft...
January 24th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Wow, that is good. What better place to practice gentleness than with the very people that God uses to “test” your patience daily!
And, to take situations that would normally lead to contention and teach or just act with a gentle, humble spirit! A soft voice will turn away anger, too (Proverbs 15:1). All the more reason to walk in the Spirit, because only He can work these qualities into a life!
Thanks, Jessica!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I can’t believe how close we are getting to the end of this challenge! These posts are excellent exhortations and reading them helps me not only remember the verses better, but help me to understand their richness.
Don’t give up; endure to the end!
January 24th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
This verse is very interesting. I had never really pondered the thought of simply being gentle. So many times we are encouraged to ’strive’ for this, or ’strive’ for that. And most of the time, that godly encouragement is a wonderful goal. But it’s almost like stepping back, and letting the Lord take the lead. Then He will cause us to strive for godliness when we have learned this lesson of letting Him guide and direct us with gentleness and patience. Thanks Jessica.