Daily Devotions with Greg Laurie – Tuesday,
10 December 2013 – “Have You Lost Sight of Jesus?”
After the celebration was over, they
started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents
didn't miss him at first.(Luke 2:43)
On one occasion when Jesus was twelve
years old, He went missing. Mary and Joseph lost sight of Him, and it took
three days of searching to find Him again. They had been in Jerusalem for the
Passover, and as they were returning home, He was nowhere to be found. But here
is the interesting thing: they traveled an entire day before they missed Him.
It isn't that they lost their love for Him or their faith. They just lost Him.
Can this happen to us? The answer is yes.
It is possible to go through an hour, a day, or even a week without a passing
thought of Jesus. (That is, until a crisis hits.) This is the easiest thing to
do at Christmas. We are so busy celebrating the birth of Christ that we can
forget about Christ. This is the time of year when we have all kinds of
responsibilities. And God's only begotten Son can become God's only forgotten
Son.
One way we lose Jesus is when
nonessentials displace essentials. When we are busy, often our spiritual lives
are the first things to go. We don't have time to read God's Word. We don't
have time to pray, even for a moment. We can't afford to give anything to God
because we have so many things to buy. We allow nonessentials to take the place
of essentials.
Whenever I lose something, I retrace my
steps. Where did I have it last? I go back to that place, and often I will find
it there.
If you've found that you've lost Jesus in
the busyness of life, then you need to go back to where you were before. And
the good news is that even if we lose sight of Jesus, He never loses sight of
us.
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2 Timothy Salutation
1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship
with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in
my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I
may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that
lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure,
lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that
is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a
spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of
self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the
testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering
for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and
grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but
it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[a] 12
and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one
in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that
day what I have entrusted to him.[b] 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching
that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14
Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit
living in us.
15 You are aware that all who are in Asia
have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord
grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and
was not ashamed of my chain; 17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly[c] searched
for me and found me 18 —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the
Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
2: You then, my child, be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2 and what you have heard from me through many
witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.
3 Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving in
the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the
enlisting officer. 5 And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without
competing according to the rules. 6 It is the farmer who does the work who
ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the
Lord will give you understanding in all things.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the
dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship,
even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not
chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that
they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also
live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with
him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains
faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of this, and warn them
before God[d] that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good
but only ruins those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to
God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly
explaining the word of truth. 16 Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people
into more and more impiety, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among
them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth by claiming
that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of
some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The Lord
knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
turn away from wickedness.”
20 In a large house there are utensils
not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use,
some for ordinary. 21 All who cleanse themselves of the things I have
mentioned[e] will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of
the house, ready for every good work. 22 Shun 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 stupid and senseless controversies;
you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant[f] must not be
quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting
opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come
to know the truth, 26 and that they may escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will.[g]
Godlessness in the Last Days
3: You must understand this, that in the
last days distressing times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes,
haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the outward form of godliness
but denying its power. Avoid them! 6 For among them are those who make their
way into households and captivate silly women, overwhelmed by their sins and
swayed by all kinds of desires, 7 who are always being instructed and can never
arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so
these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth. 9
But they will not make much progress, because, as in the case of those two
men,[h] their folly will become plain to everyone.
Paul’s Charge to Timothy
10 Now you have observed my teaching, my
conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11
my persecutions, and my suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch,
Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from
all of them. 12 Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will
be persecuted. 13 But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse,
deceiving others and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from
childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God
and is[i] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient,
equipped for every good work.
4: In the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing
and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent
whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage,
with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will
not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober,
endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
6 As for me, I am already being poured
out as a libation, 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 From now on there
is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have
longed for his appearing.
Personal Instructions
9 Do your best to come to me soon, 10 for
Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to
Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia,[j] Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke
is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.
12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I
left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14
Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his
deeds. 15 You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defense no one came to my
support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the
Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be
fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the
lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for
his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings and Benediction
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household
of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill in
Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you,
as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.[k]
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be
with you.[l]
Footnotes:
2 Timothy 1:11 Other ancient authorities
add of the Gentiles
2 Timothy 1:12 Or what has been entrusted
to me
2 Timothy 1:17 Or promptly
2 Timothy 2:14 Other ancient authorities
read the Lord
2 Timothy 2:21 Gk of these things
2 Timothy 2:24 Gk slave
2 Timothy 2:26 Or by him, to do his (that
is, God’s) will
2 Timothy 3:9 Gk lacks two men
2 Timothy 3:16 Or Every scripture
inspired by God is also
2 Timothy 4:10 Other ancient authorities
read Gaul
2 Timothy 4:21 Gk all the brothers
2 Timothy 4:22 The Greek word for you
here is plural. Other ancient authorities add Amen
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