Recipe for Life 4

2 Timothy 4:1-3

I really hate to be caught short when preparing for meals. I don’t like putting water on to boil just to find out there are no spaghetti noodles. I don’t like getting out lunchmeat only to find out I am out of bread. It is important to be prepared. This is the idea behind the kitchen tip “Keep an extra package of chocolate chips hidden where only the cook knows.”

That same type of preparedness applies to our faith life as well. In this letter to Timothy what things are commanded? What warning is suggested in verse 3?

When I am preparing for a Sunday service I have all week to gather my Scriptures, choose the hymns, plan the activities and so on. I am rarely caught off guard on Sundays. But there are times when someone is need and I must respond in a moment’s notice.

In these cases I can’t afford to be caught lacking. When I am confronted with someone who has a spiritual or emotional need I must be ready to respond.

But that same requirement extends to all of us. It is not just pastors who should be ready to respond to the needs of others.

Each one of us should obey what is commanded to Timothy. We must be prepared at all times to share the Gospel message, to offer guidance and correction, and to offer assistance.

We already live in such times as those refereed to in verse 3. So many people have turned to messages of false hope. They have begun listening to teachers who offer pleasing advice and encouragement, words that are not truly based on Biblical teaching.

It is up to each one of us as followers of Christ to be equipped with the truth. We need to be prepared for unexpected opportunities to offer the message of Christ and the correction of Godly instruction.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Do you have spiritual “chocolate chips” of faith ready to be shared?