Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever realized when God calls you to do something, how easy it is to get distracted? I know when I am sitting down to read the Bible or taking intentional time to pray, I can get drawn to one thing or another. My phone might go off or someone comes to the door. Of all times, it seems to be so convenient that these things would happen right when I'm supposed to do what God has called me to do.
Paul actually writes a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, encouraging him to have a clear mind. Our Verse of the Day comes from 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 5. It says, "But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you."
A Really Big Call
That is a really big call. If you think about reading that for the first time, if you were Timothy and you picked up the letter that Paul wrote to you, and you read that as a young man, that seems really big. It seems intimidating. How am I supposed to keep a clear mind when I'm responsible for so many things?
For added context, let's paint a bigger picture. Timothy was positioned by Paul to essentially build the church from the ground up. Paul charged him to operate in the giftings that God had given to him, to set up an order for people to look to in the church, and to maintain pure teaching—not to let anything mix in. Timothy is responsible for a lot here. On top of that, he's really young. People started looking down on him for the things that he supposedly couldn't do because of his age.
Paul encourages him not to be beaten down because of how young he is or be looked down on, not to let that get to his heart. He's already dealing with a lot. He's got a lot of dynamics. Now Paul says, "Keep a clear mind in everything." I don't know if you felt this way or not, but when I've got a lot going on, it's hard to stay focused, especially when God's put something in front of me to do.
Learning to Slow Down
How do we do that? I think a big part of having a clear mind is learning to slow down a little bit. I was talking with some friends a little bit earlier about all of the changes and things going on in my life, and how the first thing I felt to do was slow down, let the Lord have more room. I feel like I have to get to the finish line. I have to accomplish something. I would imagine, without reading too much into Timothy, that the likelihood of him feeling like he had to make sure everything happened could have been on his shoulders.
If we slow down, we have a better chance of thinking clearly about what God has for us to do.
Not Be Afraid of Suffering
The second thing Paul says to Timothy is not to be afraid of the suffering that would come. Maybe you hear that and think, if I have to run into painful situations, I'm not about that. I would rather avoid that and stay comfortable. I'm with you. I don't run into suffering willingly, but Jesus actually promises us that suffering is a part of life. He says to take heart because He has overcome the world.
In moments where we can be distracted by the suffering we know is coming, maybe we slow down and remember God's Word. We can say, the suffering ultimately does not have a hold on me. If Jesus has overcome the world and I'm in Him, I'm going to be okay.
Work to Bring the Gospel
Then Paul says to Timothy, "Work." We like this word when it has good fruit. Sometimes when you come up against resistance, working has a lot to be desired. When we work to bring the Gospel to people, it means that we're putting in the effort. For you, it could look different than for the person down the street or even for me.
What does it look like to work to bring the Gospel? I think if we have a resolve in ourselves to know that when I slow down long enough to get a glimpse of God's heart for what I'm supposed to be doing, I don't allow myself to be swept up with the distractions that come with suffering, and I press through, believing that God has overcome for me—then the Gospel, the good news of the freedom that we have in Jesus, will come through clearly.
People will be impacted by it, but the only way they'll be impacted by it is if I take a step.
Be Bold and Share the Gospel
Today, if you've been impacted by the freedom of the Gospel, in that you were once dead but now you're alive, what would it look like for you with a clear mind, knowing that suffering is coming, to be bold and share the Gospel with somebody? Their life could be changed today if you would just share the good news.
