Lunch Bite January 13, 2021

2 Timothy 2:24–26

²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

When we begin in this passage and read, “Lord’s servant,” we may be tempted to tune out because Paul of course is writing to Timothy as a pastor and teacher.  That is not the word he used.  The word he used is a word for slave in the New Testament.  The starting point for a new life in Christ is that we become slaves to Christ.  He is our Master and Lord.  The Lord has made His mark upon us and claimed us as His own.  Then we can fulfill the command given in scripture to lead patiently even when we are under attack, even loving those that come against us. 

We must see them as they are trapped by the devil doing the will of the devil and that is to spread hatred of God everywhere.  I am sure there is someone in your life, a family member, a coworker, a neighbor that hates God and speaks against God continually.  See them as they are a trapped and wounded animal desperate to be free and to live.  I loved the outdoors and hunting as a child and was fascinated by stories of the mountain men on the frontier.  The one thing I could not ever accept was the trapping of animals.  To think of a creature being caught in a leg trap, fearing for their life, in pain, and some stories of the animal chewing their leg off to be free.  This was more suffering and hurt than any creature should endure .  The people trapped may be the ones you may see as enemies in your life.  Remember as they are you once were.  While you take your break today ask God who it is in your life that you need to help set free from the snare of the devil and begin to pray for the actions and the words that God will use to set them free from the desperate condition, they are in.  This is your Master’s will.