Thought for Monday, 13 March 2023

 2 Timothy 4:2-5

Preach the word of God.  Be persistent, whether the time is favourable or not.  Patiently correct, rebuke

and encourage your people with good teaching.  For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching.  They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.  They will reject the truth and follow strange myths.  But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.  Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.  Work at bringing others to Christ.  Complete the ministry God has given you. 

When I read the thought for the day from last Friday, I could really relate to it and I’ve included the same passage plus a few additional verses because this passage of scripture is most relevant in the world today. 

I attended a seminar on chaplaincy recently and must admit I enjoyed it at the time.  Compared to other seminars I’ve attended over the past year; it held my attention and lots of positive energy was projected by the people who were presenting the seminar.  It provided examples of chaplaincy in different environments e.g. hospitals, the forces, businesses and even sports clubs.  It sounded like a great thing to be involved in.  The main thing I took from that seminar was that chaplaincy just meant being there when folks needed a willing ear or comforting words or reassurance and being there to support folks when they were feeling down.  It was made clear that chaplaincy was for everyone, for folks who had some form of belief (no matter what) and for those who had none. 

Later when I was thinking about this, it came to me that something was missing from this approach and that something was that Jesus did not feature.  If he was mentioned, I must have missed it.  It made me wonder if chaplaincy was something that could be done that didn’t need Calvary to have happened. 

It is not my intention to demean the work of chaplaincy and perhaps the presenters of my seminar were just concentrating on the day-to-day scenarios that they encountered but to ‘complete the ministry God has given us’, how can this be achieved if the life and work of his Son is not shared?

The last sentence in today’s passage says, ‘complete the ministry God has given you’.  We all have different talents and skills and, as Christians, we must use these abilities to bring others to Christ, each in our own way. 

Prayer – Heavenly Father, how blessed we are to have the living Word of God which teaches, trains, convicts, and corrects us... instructing us in disciplined obedience and tutoring us in righteousness. We pray that we may take to heart everything that that You would teach us through your Holy Scriptures.  We pray that we may learn to be watchful and sober in all things, enduring hardship, doing the work of an evangelist, and fulfilling our ministry. Keep us protected from false teachings and enable us to fight the good fight of faith for Your praise and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen