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.
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 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. The saying is trustworthy
and deserving of full acceptance. 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. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but
set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council
of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 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.
Our King has said He is going to conquer the world…you believe that don’t you? So do I. He has also said how He is going to do it…through Word and Sacrament…Go into
all the word teaching them to obey all that I have commanded…that is the plan and it is through the Church being and doing what He has designed the church to be and do, that He will accomplish that.
Charles Simeon sought to stir his people unto the glory of these simple things when he said to them in Cambridge two centuries ago: Let us rather come together as
that assembly in Troas did, I to preach and you to hear, as though we were never to meet again in this world…Xns, let us beg of God to impress His words more deeply on our minds that they may be to us a savor of life unto life and not as they are to so many,
a savor of death unto death.
We could comfort ourselves in that the kinds of distractions I have mentioned are not a temptation for us. Ok, but does that mean that we are not distracted? In Luke’s gospel
we read about the two sisters, Mary and Martha. These ladies might offer us something to consider.
You will remember that in Martha’s case, it seems she was a bit miffed at her sister, she, after all, has to do all the work. But she was missing something, the work
wasn’t bad to be doing, in fact it was good, but there is something more important going on here.
It is clear that Martha was distracted, distracted by her serving. It is a good thing to be found serving others, and especially to be serving Jesus. But her service
became a distraction for her.
Martha’s crying out to Jesus in the midst of this, asking Him to take her part as her sister Mary is not helping but sits at the feet of Jesus listening to Him…Martha’s
complaint engages in the irony of self-betrayal, her attempt to win the Savior’s support against her sister, ends in self-indictment. Martha’s speech is centered on herself. Three times we find her using the first-person pronoun, me.
In other words, she wants to engage Jesus’ help in her plans and what she wants and thinks is correct, instead of bowing to Him and learning from Him.
To be sure this is a minor point in the text, but an interesting one and one that we need to spend a moment considering, namely that our Xn service can often be, not about loving others as the outward suggests, but actually about SELF! Since Paul is speaking
to a minister, I will confess to you how easy it is for a minister to get so wrapped up in what he is saying in his sermon and the way he is saying it that he forgets to make sure the sermon is preached to his own soul first.
I picked the right words, the right illustration, the right use of humor…I drove it home at just the right point, everyone was sitting on the edge of their pews…But
did God’s Word that you were giving to others, pierce your own soul? In your study, did the Word of God find a home in you? Or, were you too distracted writing a good sermon?
If the truth were known about our service and the things we do for others, would they strike the irony of self-betrayal? Would they end, again if your heart was revealed,
would your service to others end in self-indictment?
Here is author Tim Challies: Christians may be excited about God, but because they have become a product of our digital world, they have a diminished ability to think
deeply about Him, to truly know Him as He is. More and more of us are finding that we just can’t stop long enough to read. We can’t sustain our attention long enough to study.
We can’t find the time to meet with our Father. Where prayer used to be the first activating of the day, we now begin our daily routine by checking email. Where the
Bible used to be a special Book we read and studied, now it is an e-book that competes with our voice mail, text messages, emails, and the ever-present lure of the internet. Here is one of the great dangers we face as Xns: With the ever-present distractions
in our lives, we are quickly becoming a people of shallow thoughts, and shallow thoughts will lead to shallow living.
Prayer: Father, I know that Jesus is the light of the world and that You have called me to not only walk in the light but to be the light as I follow Him. Father,
I fear I am not able to bear such a calling. I pray you would fill me with Your Spirit and help me to hear Him, to discern His voice and to live with humility and boldness so that my life would shine with the glory light of my Savior. Lord, help me, that I
might glorify You, in Jesus name, Amen.
Hymn: Kyrie Eleison
