Study!

Study!

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 AMPC

Here was Paul, charging a young Timothy on the things he needed to take as important. Many things will fight for attention; many issues will demand change of focus, but when you know who has called you, what he has called you to and where you are headed, it is easy to avoid distraction and just focus on the important things. What are the key messages in Paul's message to Timothy? 

STUDY: You can never define study outside the investment of time, energy and resources. In the earlier verses, Paul reminded Timothy to endure hardships and raise teachers who would also impart the lessons of the gospel to other people. You cannot do any of these things without a clear understanding of who you serve and why you serve. Why do I need to study? Is it the secret to knowing God's mind per time, and be sure that your actions line up with His will? Is it in the eternal benefits of knowing who this God is? 

Whatever my reason for study is, God must be the focus and the target. If all I pursue is head knowledge with no heart experience, I cut myself away from all that God would have me know. Reading the Bible isn't just enough; even the devil quoted Scripture to Jesus at his temptation. It has to be far more than just memorising, reciting and singing it out; how much of it has become a personal experience? 

APPPROVED UNTO GOD: The reason why I study is so that I can be approved by God as one who speaks for Him. It can't be about reputation and popularity, or a desire to just stand before men so that my diction, education and elocution can shine through. It  has to be something more: a life that God can trust with the true riches of His grace and the deep mysteries in His Word. Does that describe me or you? 

It is unto God, not men, so man's opinions don't count here. It is unto God, so I am set free from men's expectations. I don't have to bend over backwards to please you; I just need to listen to God, speak as directed and leave the results to the One who owns men's hearts. When a man is approved by God, it doesn't matter what fhd quality and quantity of the opposition against him is; a man sent by God will always command an audience, even if it is just one. Paul charged Timothy, and we know the impact this young man eventually made. Focus on God; God will raise hearts that will listen to His Word through you. 

WORKMAN: I am a workman; not the master, not a lord, king or boss. Do I work on this basis? Do I need to be cajoled and begged before I am willing to work? Are there some assignments I consider beneath my status? A workman knows his tools, and also knows that his value is in the knowledge he has AND how he applies that knowledge to impact a situation. Of what use is a skilled workman who refuses to get to work and sits around all day? Of what use is a skilled workman who refuses to apply his skills where and when needed? If I were to employ a skilled workman who refused to do the job required, would I not probably find another one and never call the 'skilled' "workman anymore? 

It is WORKman, with emphasis on work. I must put in the work that reflects my ownership and assignment. No matter what I become in life; no matter the value of my networth or the possessions I gather, my eternal reality is tied to my understanding of what I have been called to do and how I do them. My eternal reward isn't tied to my looks, vision, value or greatness, but to the value of my work? How's yours? 

DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH: The importance of the substance of the work I am called to do cannot be overemphasised. I agree I am a workman, but on what? What is my tool of trade? It is the Word of God. It is not my word; it is not subject to my own interpretation or aligned to how I feel. The Word of God is the standard and the marker; and the amazing thing about it is that it can be applied to any and every situation. It does not bend to my will; I must align my life with its dictates or perish. It is as delicate as that. 

A man who is skilled in dividing the word of truth is a man who is totally submitted to the Word of God. How do you rightly diivde something you do not know or something you have not spent time understanding? It will not happen by willpower or force, but by diligent application and total submission to the author of the words. The key word in today's extract is and remains GOD. He is the owner, author and inspiration behind the Word, as well as the One who commissions the assignment, chooses and equips the vessel and determines the audience per time. The only thing I am asked to do is submit myself to the effort, time and resources required to ensure I am aligned with what God wants done. If I am a fit vessel in God's hands, there is no limit to what He can use me to do. The opposite is also equally true. If I will not submit, I cannot conquer. His time of favour is here.