Steve Webb  0:00  
It's part of his plan for you.

Steve Webb  0:10  
This is the Lifespring family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California and podcasting since 2004. I'm your OG God caster Steve Webb, welcome. I'm so glad to see you today. This is the daily show where we're reading through the entire Bible in a year and today we're going to read Second Timothy one and two. After the reading. I'll have some comments for you. And I got a really good comment on a previous episode today. I want to read it to you and then respond to it. I'm calling today's episode before there was time. The show notes page for today's episode is at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 242. My email address is Steve at Lifespring media.com. What do you say we get started.

Steve Webb  0:54  
Second Timothy chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will for the promise of life in Christ Jesus. To Timothy my dearly loved son, Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did. When I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, remembering your tears, I longed to see you so that I may be filled with joy clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then and your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced as in you also. Therefore, I remind you to keep a blaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness but one of power, love and sound judgment. So don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead share in suffering for the gospel relying on the power of God. He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel, I was appointed to herald apostle and teacher and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day, hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, guard through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. That good thing entrusted you this, you know, all those in Asia have turned away from me, including five journalists and her Mancini's. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of honest difference because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant that he obtained mercy from him on that day. And you know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus. 

Steve Webb  3:13  
Second Timothy, chapter two, you there for my son be strong and the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life, he seeks to please the recruiter. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard working farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. Consider what I say, For the Lord will give you understanding and everything. Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God's message is not bound. That is why I endure all things for the elect, so that they may also obtain salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy. For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure we will also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself remind them of these things, charging them before God not to fight about words. This is in no way profitable, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. But avoid irreverent, empty speech for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness. and their word will spread like gangrene, Hymenaeus, and Philetus are among them. They have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place and are overturning the faith of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm having this inscription. The Lord knows those who are His and everyone who named the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness. Now in a large house, there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and clay, some for honorable use some for dishonorable, so if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument set apart, useful to the master, prepared for every good work. Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they breed quarrels. The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone able to teach and patient instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance, leading them to the knowledge of the truth, then they may come to their senses and escape the devil's trap, having been captured by him to do his will.

Steve Webb  6:23  
My beloved, there's so much good here, all I'm going to do is just start at the beginning. And we're just going to touch a little bit on what Paul said to Timothy. But before I begin talking about the text of the chapter, let me just give you some background. The apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy from a Roman prison shortly before he was executed by Nero. And this book of Second Timothy was the last writing we have from him. There's a place in Rome that is said to be the place where Paul was imprisoned. And it's basically a cave in the ground with a small opening in the ceiling where they dropped his food down. It's windowless, and it's small with bare walls. And it would have been a very uncomfortable place, especially in the cold winter months. Well, knowing that he would soon be put to death. Paul wrote this letter to his dearly loved son, as it says in the first verse there, Paul considered Timothy to be his spiritual son. And we've seen Paul use this language for Timothy before. The reason he wrote this was because he wanted to encourage Timothy in his work with some last important words. In verse six, Paul said, Therefore, I remind you to keep a blaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. the laying on of hands is something that was done in the early church, and is still done today in some churches. But he said, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you. Have you ever tended to fire in a fireplace or a campfire? In order to keep that fire going, you have to stir it up once in a while. If you don't, it'll go out. Paul is saying, My son, God is giving you a gift, but you have to work at it, to keep it going. Beloved, we can't just sit back and expect God to work through us. He expects us to take what he's given us, whatever those abilities are, and put effort into making the most of Him for His glory for His Kingdom. You can't, for example, say I have the gift of teaching, and then just wait for somebody to come along and ask you for instruction. You have to actively make yourself available to use the gift. That church if there's a need for Sunday school teachers volunteer, don't wait for somebody to approach you. And it seems that Timothy may have been somewhat timid or fearful to make the most of his gift because Paul said, For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness but one of power, love and sound judgment. Going back to the example of the gift of teaching, if you've been gifted this way, but you feel fearful or shy about making yourself available, understand that that feeling does not come from God. With a gift. God also gave you the ability to make use of it, and he gave you the power to use it. If it's a gift from God, it's backed up with his power, and his love, and the mental ability to use the gift. Now, when you're given a gift, God expects you to use it. It's part of his plan for you. So be bold in its use. But that doesn't mean to be obnoxious about it, but you can be confident in it. And then verse nine says he has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Beloved, we have been called by God, not because of anything we have done. But because he had a plan for us even before time began a plan for His purpose. Think of it, God thought of you before time even began. It's a little bit like this. My fifth grandchild is being formed at this very moment by the hand of God. Now, do you think that grandma and grandpa, and especially her parents have hopes and dreams for her? And do you think they're making plans for her arrival? Of course they are. She's not even born and her family is already filled with expectations about her and for her. And just the same as her mom and dad have picked out a name for her. God knew your name even before he set the universe in motion. Oh, beloved, I hope you feel loved. I hope you understand how very much He loves you. I'd love to hear what you think about this. Comment at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 242. Tomorrow, we're going to read Numbers chapters nine through 12.

Steve Webb  11:12  
So this morning, Paul Erskine went to the show notes page for Psalms 81 through 83, which was episode s 12. E 189. So he's a bit behind in his listening, but that's okay. That's one of the great things about podcasts, the whole timeshifted thing. But on the show notes page there, he posted a very thoughtful and a really good comment, and I wanted to share it with you. Paul said, over the past couple of shows and a few shows before that two things have dawned on me. Okay, better said, God is now showing me. The first is around faith. I wrote this on another episode A while back, which of course I shared here on the show. But faith is a choice. It's not a measured out empirical process. It's an act of believing or better said, it's an act of faith. What I'm not sure about is if initial faith is forced on us from God, or that we are chosen as some say, or if the initial faith is incumbent on us by saying yes, after God lays it on our heart. He said, I tend to think this is the case. Or if it's just more complicated than all of this, and we just won't know and we just go on and faith. He said I lean on this one, too. What I know is that this is a huge question that probably doesn't need an answer. But as a human, I'd like it. What I'm just realizing is that initial faith is just the beginning, continued and growing faith comes from God. And we I need to ask him for that increased faith continually throughout my remaining days. And it continues. The second is around what we I have I understand, quote, unquote, that what I have is because of God, but I don't, quote, know, unquote, it, I don't know it. I haven't been in a situation or at least understood that I'm in that situation in my life where I've really needed to rely on God for food, water, shelter, etc. Getting to that point used to really scare me. And throughout my years, I'd ask God to show Himself to me. But if he could do it without taking everything away, I'd be appreciative because that scared me. Now I'm starting to get it, he says and it must be God slowly revealing it over time, because maybe he took me at my request to not devastate my life, according to my definition of devastation. So this journey has taken longer. Who knows? Well, I guess God does. He says All this to say, Paul continues. I know I've heard both of these things for basically all my life, but it is at this point, they're starting to be revealed to me. So I thought I'd share. Oh, in the first line where I say God is now showing me and other phrases like, it's just not God's plan for you. Or if it's for you, God will provide if not, it wasn't meant to be. These are types of phrases I have bristled against my whole life. They've always felt like cop outs. But I'm starting to see where the people who said these were coming from. It's point two above. Point two was, I understand what I have is because of God, but I don't know it. And that whole paragraph there. I thought that was a great comment. So I responded on the show notes page to him. I said, Thanks for your very thoughtful comment, Paul. And, Paul, I'm speaking to you now as you're listening to this podcast at some time in the future. Thank you, my brother. So here is what I said. In my case, I've discovered that God reveals more of himself as I demonstrate more willingness to utilize the faith that he's given me. When I was first saved as a 16 year old, I had little faith. All I knew was that I needed him in my life. His first test of my faith came soon after I asked him into my life, I had a flat tire very early in the morning while driving on the freeway to go surfing. Having grown up in a non Christian family, where my dad often let loose with colorful language. My reflexive response was to follow my dad's example when I got that flat. But I felt an immediate check. I know now that it was the Holy Spirit beginning to speak to me. So at that point, I held my tongue. I believe that what happened next was God rewarding me for being willing to listen to him. They were very few cars out, but I needed help because I had no spare tire. When I realized my predicament, an older gentleman pulled over and offered his help. I won't relate the whole story. But the bottom line is that I was back on the road in relatively short order. Over the years, he's presented me with many opportunities to either trust him or not. I've discovered that when I do, my faith grows. And when I've tried my own way, my faith grows in a different way. Of course, my way is usually a complete failure. And when I look back, I see that his way would have been the far better one. So I still learned that to trust Him is always the better solution. I don't think God forces faith on us. But for those willing to learn, we learn to have more faith, free will is always available to us and some stubbornly continue to reject him. I believe that we always have the choice to believe or not, do we choose to believe because of election, because we're chosen? Well, I'm not smart enough to figure that out. All I know is that for some reason, God has graciously given me opportunities to grow. Certainly not because I deserve them. So many times, I feel like Paul, I am the chief of sinners. But because of his boundless love, and for His glory, He is faithful to forgive me.

Steve Webb  17:33  
Scripture tells us that He is the author and finisher of our faith. Try as I might, I can't figure that out. How much is God and how much is us? I don't have the definitive answer. All I know is that everything I have everything I am, is because of his marvelous grace. I've tried doing things my way. And I never want to be in that place again. One more thing. Growing up in the home I did with a perfectionistic. It's my way or the highway dad, I really had a difficult time with the concept of God being a loving father. For most of my life, even as a believer, I didn't really love God, I respected him. I honored him. But I never really felt close to him. But as I've learned to trust him, my love for him has grown exponentially. He has taught me that I can trust him, that he isn't a God who's just waiting for me to blow it. And that when I do, he doesn't grudgingly forgive me. Rather, he welcomes me back with open arms. Now, I can enthusiastically say, Oh, how I love him.

Steve Webb  18:53  
So that was my response to Paul's comments. And I thought I would share that with you as well. In Our reading today, the apostle Paul, not Paul Erskine. The apostle Paul talked about being called, it talks about the plans that God has for us from before time began. And the somehow some way God approaches us before we even knew him. And he says, your mind, but we have to accept his invitation. He says, Come to me, I stand at the door and knock. So he doesn't force faith on us. He doesn't force his will on us. But somehow, he gives us the faith to accept. Like I said, I'm not smart enough to figure it out. All I know is God loves me. I love God. I know that God is not willing that any should perish, but we have to beleive. This is something that has been talked about ever since Jesus was here. If you're listening to this and have not accepted Jesus, and you're expecting some sort of a definitive answer to some of the difficult questions, I'm gonna, I'm gonna disappoint you. There isn't a definitive answer. It's about faith. God makes the offer. And we must respond. Like I said, in my response to Paul, I don't have the answers. But I do know that when I take control of my life, I'm not happy with the results. Yes, I got saved at 16. But there have been times in my life where I said, I'm through this stuff, and I want to do what I want to do. And it wasn't pretty. I'm just thankful that God gave me the time to return to Him, and in be forgiven. I know that ever since I've closed the door on any possibility of turning away from God. And I just turned my life over to him and told him, Lord, whatever you want to do in my life, the answer is yes. Ever since that time, I've had a growing peace and unshakable joy, that, despite any of the hardships that Leanne and I had been through in the last 30 plus years together, there's nothing like it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wouldn't trade God for anything. This world cannot offer me anything that is worth walking away from God again, over, there's a peace, there's a joy, there's a satisfaction in knowing that I'm walking in His will. And that's available for anybody who will just say, yes.

Steve Webb  21:59  
Let's pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we know from our reading today that you have a plan for each of us from even before time began. That's kind of amazing to think about. And we thank you that we're not just here by accident. And since you do have a plan for us, we want to do our best to fulfill that plan. So we just humbly ask that you help us in the work. Lead us, Lord, and give us the faith to follow. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Steve Webb  22:41  
Well, today was just a little bit of a different show, I guess you could say, I would be curious as to your comments. Go to the show notes page, please at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 242. And let me know your thoughts or email me at Steven Lifespring media.com. Support the show please at Lifespring media.com/support. And my thanks to Kirstie and Sean of San Pedro for the work that they do to make the show better. I appreciate you guys so much. And I pray that God will bless you. Well, that's it for today. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. See you then. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai