Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Titus+001

 

TITUS

Introduction
After the apostle Paul was released from prison in Rome, he discovered that renegade leaders were preying on the people of the church he had founded in Ephesus. He therefore left his long-time co-worker Timothy in that city with a letter authorizing him to replace these leaders and restore order. A similar situation on the island of Crete required Paul to commission another long-time co-worker, Titus, to act as his representative there.

Paul’s letter is addressed to Titus, but it is meant for the larger church as well. He confers his own authority on Titus and instructs him to appoint godly leaders. Paul’s description of the false teaching matches that in Ephesus: a combination of selective Jewish observances (such as being circumcised and abstaining from certain foods) and the pursuit of controversial speculations. However, the teaching didn’t help people live purer lives. Paul tells the community that the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It is the true message about Jesus that helps God’s people live a new kind of life. Paul reveals his plan to spend the winter in Nicopolis, a city on the west coast of Macedonia. It would provide an excellent jumping-off point for bringing the gospel to the western part of the empire. He trusts that Titus will help restore order in Crete so he can accompany Paul on this new venture.

 

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/TIT.INTRO1.NIV

 

Chapter 1  (ESV)
¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ³ and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

⁴ To Titus, my true child in a common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— ⁶ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.⁷ For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. ⁹ He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

 

REFLECTION:

1. One of Titus’ tasks was to strengthen the organization of Crete’s churches. This was done by appointing leadership teams in each congregation according to the qualifications Paul laid out for Titus.
2. If your church’s search committee is currently looking for people who meet these qualifications to become elders or deacons, would you be qualified for nomination? Why or why not?
3. Identify the qualities in vv8-9. Which quality on this list do you most desire to develop in yourself? Where or who can you ask to help you develop them?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Is He Worthy – youtu.be/1A1sAdFXMIc

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Timothy+004

 

2 Timothy  Chapter 4  (ESV)

¹ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Paul has known plenty of discouragement and persecution. But he looked back over his life with a sense of satisfaction without regret or shame. Through it all, Paul kept on serving. He fought the good fight. He ran the good race. He kept the faith. And now he looked forward to his reward.
2. Paul wants us to know that God has the same reward for each of us. We can also live our life here aware that this earth is temporary, and all its pleasures are passing. We will yearn not for the things of earth, but for Jesus to return. This yearning will keep us, as it kept Paul, faithfully committed to God and whatever ministry God has given us, until we meet Christ in person.
3. What would it take for you to be at peace with your own death? Do you have a sense of completion?
4. In what way could you encourage someone in the next generation to continue the work of Jesus Christ?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – youtu.be/j5qc0EcNgqw

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Timothy+003

 

2 Timothy Chapter 3 (ESV)
¹⁰ You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The Bible is good for us and it gives us doctrine (it tells us a truth that means more than our opinions). The Bible gives us reproof and correction (it tells us when we are wrong in our thinking or conduct). The Bible gives us instruction in righteousness (it tells us how to live rightly before God and men).
2. Imagine you are living an interactive life with God. All day long you experience God gently showing you truth, exposing your rebellion, correcting your mistakes, and training you to live His way.
3. Why would this be the best way to live? Are you willing to live like this?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

How Deep the Father’s Love For Us – youtu.be/tzQj7XvKFmA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Timothy+002

 

2 Timothy Chapter 2 (ESV)

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. ¹⁹ But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

²⁰ Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Slowly read these verses (esp. vv22-26) and let the message saturate your heart and mind. Imagine Paul is sitting beside you, speaking these words to you directly. How do you feel when you hear them? What part of the passage resonates most with you? Why?
2. Does the “evil desires of youth” seem a little patronizing? Or do you just like to have “foolish and stupid arguments”, or is there still bitterness in you causing you to get into “quarrels” a lot? Perhaps Christian maturity such as “be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” seems impossible or defeating?  Maybe with some people you’ve lost hope that they might “come to their senses”?
3. Continue to sit in silence and explore what God might want you to do with this instruction. How are you to live it out today? This week? This month?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Lord I Need You – youtu.be/gS9e0nxHP-w

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Timothy+001

 

2 TIMOTHY

Introduction

Paul left his co-worker Timothy in the city of Ephesus to deal with some renegade leaders in the church there. When Timothy struggled, however, Paul went back to Ephesus. Once there, Paul suffered a great deal of harm from Alexander, one of these leaders, and he was once again imprisoned and taken to Rome. He expected that this time he would be tried and executed. Paul wrote to Timothy to ask him to come to Rome quickly.

Things in Ephesus had not gone as Paul or Timothy expected. Paul had ordered both Alexander and Hymenaeus to step down from leadership, but they were continuing to oppose Paul. Others had joined them, and they were still misdirecting people into a corrupted version of the faith that stressed debate and dissension rather than purity and obedience. Timothy was discouraged and intimidated. Paul’s letter includes challenges to stay faithful to the true message—even if this meant suffering or death. Paul reminds Timothy that in the days before the open appearance of Jesus as king, there will be lots of trouble. False teachers, treacherous and insincere people, persecutions and more will all challenge the faithfulness of God’s people.

Paul urges Timothy to remember the gospel message: Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. He points out that the sacred writings Timothy has known since he was a child are God-breathed, and will help him continue in doing good work.

 

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/2TI.INTRO1.NIV

 

2 Timothy  Chapter 1  (ESV)

³ I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. ⁴ As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ⁹ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, ¹⁰ and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ¹² which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.¹³ Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 

REFLECTION:

1. It’s amazing what people are willing to suffer for. Some are willing to suffer to receive a gold medal. Some are willing to suffer to reach a mountaintop. Some are willing to suffer to obtain certain physique. Others sacrifice home and family to make more money on a job that takes them constantly on the road.
2. Paul asks believers to “share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (v8). The Gospel is the expression of God’s grace, revealed in Christ’s appearance, which announces God’s victory over death and invites everyone to come to Him for “life and immortality” (v10). Now that is something worth suffering for. In times of suffering, if we learn to rely on the power of God, they become opportunities for God’s continued effort to transform us into His image.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Give Me Jesus – www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ8k9m2hwo

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=1Timothy+006

 

1 Timothy   Chapter 6 (ESV)

¹¹ But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁵ which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Paul talked about some of the things that can mess up a person’s life in the first part of the chapter (vv3-10). He then told Timothy to run from them and to run toward something else: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (v11). Timothy is told to run hard and fast, holding nothing back, why? To win, of course. And why do we run to win? Because this is a race worth winning, and therefore it should engage the whole of us—body and soul, mind and spirit, all our strength, all our time, all our attention, all our heart.
2. There is no time for detours of gossip or dead ends of speculation on the course. The race is to the swift, not the slacker, to the one who is running hard and fast for the finish line, not the one who is wandering off course on some fanciful side trip. How well are you running this race?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

I Will Run to You – youtu.be/FpNruT1t_dw

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=1Timothy+005

 

1 Timothy   Chapter 5 (ESV)

¹ Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³ Honor widows who are truly widows. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.⁵ She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, ⁶ but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. ⁷ Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The church should care for the widows with no family to care for them. Widows have been vulnerable individuals throughout the Scripture and God has always shown special concern for their protection. Timothy sought to value and honour these widows. They were to be kept busy and active in the church, and were involved in training the younger women, as described in Titus 2.
2. How many widows do you know in your extended family, or among your close friends? How are their needs met? How is your church doing in caring for people in need? What endeavors should you make in this area?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

The Least of These – youtu.be/vyXVvM0m6P8

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=1Timothy+004

 

1 Timothy   Chapter 4  (ESV)

⁶ If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶ Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Many people go to the gym to work out in order to develop themselves physically. Christians are to “work out” to develop spiritually. A weight lifter develops his skill by lifting weights. A Christian develops his ability to live a godly life by making godly choices. To grow spiritually, you need to concentrate on those acts that show your love for God and for others.
2. On a scale of one to ten—one being spiritual flabbiness and ten being spiritually fit—how would you rate your spiritual fitness? Why? How could you make your life a better example for others “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (v12)?
3. Write these five words on an index card: speech, conduct, love, faith, purity. Ask for God’s help to live out these areas throughout the day.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Psalm 23 – Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy – youtu.be/Mo3HgtT_OiE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=1Timothy+003

 

1 Timothy   Chapter 3  (ESV)

¹The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, ⁵ for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷ Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

 

REFLECTION:

1. This passage lists the qualifications for elders/pastors who are charged with spiritual oversight of a local congregation. Read this passage a few times slowly and carefully noticing the moral expectations presented in this passage. Let each instruction direct your thoughts to areas in your life that are to be examined by the Holy Spirit. In which areas does your life look different from the model Paul presented?  (You don’t need to work through the whole passage.)
2. Ask God to help you make small changes so that the transformation may begin in you and that you may display qualities of genuine spiritual life.
3. Pray for the leaders of your church: pastors, ministry committee members, cell leaders, etc. Pray that their lives may continue to be transformed by God.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus – youtu.be/-DdgkvnsHjM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=1Timothy+002

 

1 Timothy   Chapter 2  (ESV)

¹ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.

 

REFLECTION:

1. God “desires all people to be saved” (v4).  This is an important verse if you have prayed for unsaved loved ones and been discouraged by their lack of response. We know from Scripture that not everyone will be saved; but we also know that God desires all to come to know Christ. This means that when you pray for any individual’s salvation, you can be confident that what you are praying for is definitely in harmony with God’s wishes and desires.
2. The most effective evangelism is supported by the evidence of “a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (v2). It is not appropriate to use sudden calamities as a means of frightening people into accepting the gospel. Instead, unbelievers should gradually develop a longing and admiration from seeing the peace and goodness manifested in the daily lives of ordinary believers. That is the proper and dependable gateway to the gospel.
3. Sit quietly before God and wait. If you will, lift up hands and pray earnestly for those people and needs that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Be Thou My Vision – youtu.be/i9cuRc1RMbE