Think On What It Means

Think over what I say,
for the Lord
will give you understanding
in all things.
(II Timothy 2:7)

Good Morning,

Hundreds and hundreds of people came to celebrate the life of one man, Tim’s principal, who died last week. His life was remarkable because of being occupied with serving God and making a difference in other’s lives. He lived to serve.

The Apostle Paul described a life of service to be lived as a soldier, athlete, and farmer. In the letter to Timothy, he said to think on what it means to live in this manner in 2 Timothy 2:7--

Think over what I say: The Apostle Paul asked Timothy to focus on the written words in order to perceive the life principles. Perceive is a Latin derivation of percipere which means to seize entirely (per meaning thoroughly and capere meaning grasp).

For the Lord will give you understanding in all things:
The Spirit of God moves through our mind to give understanding and full insight to what it means to serve. Word pictures are used to illustrate service in 2 Timothy 2:4-6:

4 No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer: Daily details of living easily entangle a soldier and can become an obstacle to being focused and wholehearted with the sole purpose to serve. A soldier focuses on obedience in order to serve the officer at full capacity.
5 And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules: An athlete is disciplined, willingly sacrificing time and effort to put forth all they have to win.
6 It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops: A farmer who labors intensively from sunrise to sunset will experience the impact of his/her labor. The farmer experiences great joy in the production of fruit from hard labor.

Study how the soldier, athlete, and farmer lifestyle is to be incorporated into your life.
Meditate on the concepts.
Perceive the message.
Grasp the concept.
Be transformed by the truth.

Learning with you to think on what it means to serve God and make a difference in other lives,
Kerrie

(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)