2 Timothy 3:1-7: Discernment & Wisdom
Rebecca Lightfoot
In 2Timothy3:1-7, Paul instructs us to UNDERSTAND (perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of) a number of real world/real life difficulties & challenges that should be appreciated as “wisdom & discernment markers” for us-> people & things that we need to be aware of/warned of that could lead us away from the Wisdom of God for our mind/heart/life! Paul says->”But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” The last verse does not leave any gray area when he says “Avoid such people”->Avoid the influence of all these things on our mind/heart/life! Dear Jesus,these verses open up to me how much of my mind/heart/life I have allowed to be influenced by these things and the people that obviously have some of these characteristics in their lives. Please let the wisdom & discernment of these verses help me to be always learning about You and Your Word,and always growing closer to arriving at a knowledge of THE TRUTH,& may THE TRUTH about You and Your Ways become integral in every area of my mind/heart/life. And dear Lord, help me to NOT become one of these people that Paul is warning about in these verses!