I have a confession to make. I confess that I struggle with resisting the urge to complain.
I was reading John Wesley’s sermon ‘The Cure of Evil-speaking’, which was based on Matthew 18:15-17. Wesley preached the sermon to address a growing concern with gossipping and complaining in his class meetings.
By God’s grace, I sensed that it was His gentle rebuke when I read the following:
“What is evil-speaking? Evil speaking is nothing more or less than speaking ill of an absent person. It is reporting something evil that was actually done or said by one who is not present at the time of the report.”
This is such a pervasive issue, surrounding us on every side, that we can be unsuspectingly carried along by its wave if we are not mindful of it in our conversations, or our thought world. Thankfully, God has not left us without any aid.
I am confident of the transforming power of God to inform and reform my thoughts. In 2 Timothy, which is traditionally considered to be the last letter written by the apostle Paul, he urges his beloved disciple Timothy to continue growing in the Word of God with these words:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)
Scripture is a means by which God reveals, confirms and enlarges true wisdom. This is an experience which our DISCIPLE and Precept Upon Precept leaders continually affirm as they study God’s Word together in our classes.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, it says:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Do you share Paul’s sentiments about the Word of God as mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:16-17?
As mentioned, I have been blessed to receive the teaching and correction of God through Scripture so that I may grow to be more rooted in God’s Word and Christlikeness each day. However, there are also honest Christians who have shared with me that while they are confident that what the verses say is true, they have struggled to read and apply God’s Word.
Meditating on God’s Word can very quickly become a dry experience if we focus merely on completing yet another task for the day, instead of realising that it is about meeting God in His Word. The early Church discovered that reading Scripture prayerfully was helpful for them to meet God through His Word. This prayerful reading of Scripture is known as lectio divina (divine reading).
Whilst there are many modern methods of lectio divina practised today, including the R.O.A.D journalling method practised in Wesley Methodist Church, the purpose remains the same. Here in Wesley, we observe a discipline of reading the Scripture daily using the Bible Reading Plan in our WMC Telegram. Our leaders faithfully seek to set an example for everyone by sharing their daily devotions based on the R.O.A.D journalling method. The reading plan is on our church website while the daily sharings or devotions are released on Telegram.
If you haven’t joined us, I encourage you to commit to reading the Bible daily with us!
So we are helped in our reflections on reading the Bible. Timothy had help too! Timothy’s sincere faith was nurtured through the Word of God and the faithful examples of Lois and Eunice, his grandmother and mother (2 Timothy 1:5). We don’t just learn the word of God through reading it, but also through learning from other Christians and imitating them as they seek to live according to God’s Word.
Our lives are a testimony of the living Word. This is why Paul is convinced of the power of the Word of God to continue to root Timothy in Christlikeness and develop him for Christian ministry. So, let us not forget that as ministry leaders and elders in our households, we also play significant roles in nurturing the faith of young believers in God’s Word so that their faith and love for God would not grow cold.
Read also: Living a Sanctified Life
