A devotional for the men at St. Matthew's Ministry, Chattanooga, TN. June 13, 20123
Prologue
Ruby Payne (1) says there are four criteria or reasons that motivate people to take positive steps to climb out of poverty and homelessness. They are:
1. Life has become so objectionable and painful that the alternative to change is to stay and give up or die.
2. To have a skill or special talent.
3. To have a vision or goal.
4. To have a key relationship that provides support, advice and encouragement.
The last criterion is probably the most powerful because relationships can lift you up or tear you down. The congregation of believers offers help for all four reasons.
The lesson
2 Timothy 3:1-9 (paraphrased from the Common English Bible) (NRSV)
Understand that
the last days will be dangerous times. People will be selfish and love money.
They will be the kind of people who brag and are proud. They will slander
others, and will be disobedient to their parents, and they will be ungrateful
and unholy, unloving, contrary and critical. They will be without self-control
and brutal and they will not love what is good. They will be people who are
disloyal, reckless, and conceited. They will love pleasure instead of loving
God. They will look like they are religious but deny God’s power.
Avoid people
like this!
Some will
slither into households and control immature young men and women who are
burdened with sins and liable to give in to all sorts of desires. They are weak
and always being told what is true but can never understand it. They are always
being instructed about true and good behavior but can never arrive at knowledge
of the truth. They oppose the truth like the ones who opposed Moses. They have
corrupt minds and counterfeit faith. But they will not get very far because
their foolishness will become obvious to everyone who sees them.
This evening
I thought we might think a little about relationships. Remember I talked about
how important relationships are in making a permanent change in your life.
Relationships can be like trust, extremely valuable, and hard to recover once
they are broken. At the same time, a
relationship that is not built on trust is a direct recipe and path to
disaster.
This is
a strange passage isn’t it? Christ tells us we are to love our brothers and
always walk the extra mile. Aren’t we supposed to witness to these people who stray
from the Good News? We can rest with assurance this is our true vocation.
So why
is Paul telling us to watch out for folks who try to drag us down or have very
bad habits? Paul understands that human weakness and temptation can be a big
blockade to a righteous life. As we become Christians and grow stronger in
faith we can start taking steps of giants. Paul is telling us that until we get
to the point that we can understand our own weaknesses and take steps to avoid
compromise and find strength, we ought to take avoid situations that may drag
us down.
If we
start off like we are Olympic marathon runners we won’t make it halfway around the track
before we have to stop. When we are new and struggling to find our way to the
righteous life to which we we are called, that witnesses to those very people
we just read about, we need to take baby steps and get ready for the long race
of life. For their sake and ours.
(1) Payne, Ruby. A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Aha Press: Highlands, TX. 1996, revised 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, p3.
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