Preparing for Afflictions

Friday, July 31, 2015

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

2 Timothy 1:6-8

Paul invested a great deal of time and training into the life of Timothy. He knew that a new generation of leaders would be needed to carry on the work after his life ended. In his final letter to Timothy, Paul is attempting to prepare Timothy to carry on the work without his guidance. Realizing that Timothy would face intense persecution and opposition, Paul reminds him of the source of power that could overcome whatever obstacles Timothy faced and allow him to be faithful in continuing his ministry.

Most of us do not have to endure the intense persecution faced by the early church, but the world is no friend to our faith, and there may come a day when we must choose whether to stand for the truth or give in to avoid suffering. The challenge in that day will be to trust in God's strength and power rather than trusting our own ideas and ingenuity. The point that Paul drives home to Timothy is that ultimately it is the gifts and power of God that allow us to stand even in hard times. Of course we do not have to wait for afflictions to come to trust in God and rely fully on Him. We can begin living with that approach in the current day, and indeed that is the kind of living that will bring honor and glory to God even as it prepares us to take a stand.

Today's Growth Principle
The time to decide to stand in God's power is before the battle begins to rage.

Old Testament Reading

Psalm 57-59

PSALM 57

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.

¹ Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. ² I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. ³ He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. ⁴ My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. ⁵ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. ⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

⁷ My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. ⁸ Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. ⁹ I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. ¹⁰ For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. ¹¹ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

PSALM 58

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.

¹ Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? ² Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. ³ The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. ⁴ Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; ⁵ Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

⁶ Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD. ⁷ Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. ⁸ As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. ⁹ Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. ¹⁰ The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹ So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

PSALM 59

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

¹ Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. ² Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. ³ For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD. ⁴ They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. ⁵ Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. ⁶ They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. ⁷ Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

⁸ But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. ⁹ Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence. ¹⁰ The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. ¹¹ Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. ¹² For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. ¹³ Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah. ¹⁴ And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. ¹⁵ Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. ¹⁶ But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. ¹⁷ Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

New Testament Reading

Romans 4

CHAPTER 4

¹ What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? ² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. ³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. ⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁶ Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷ Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

⁹ Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰ How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: ¹² And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. ¹³ For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: ¹⁵ Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. ¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

¹⁷ (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. ¹⁸ Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. ¹⁹ And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: ²⁰ He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; ²¹ And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. ²² And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; ²⁴ But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; ²⁵ Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 1

¹ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; ² To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; ³ To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; ⁴ To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. ⁵ A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: ⁶ To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸ My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: ⁹ For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. ¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. ^¹¹ If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: ¹² Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: ^¹³ We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: ¹⁴ Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: ¹⁵ My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: ¹⁶ For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. ¹⁷ Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. ¹⁸ And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. ¹⁹ So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. ²⁰ Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: ²¹ She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, ²² How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? ²³ Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. ²⁴ Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; ²⁵ But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; ²⁷ When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. ²⁸ Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: ²⁹ For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: ³⁰ They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. ³¹ Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. ³² For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. ³³ But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.