Slapped Upside the Heart

06.28.12

2 Timothy 3.2-4 2 ...preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. NASB

Two things stood out to me in reading this today:

1.) Reprove, rebuke, exhort. Notice, Paul didn’t say, coddle, caress, and cuddle – no, his words were forceful and imminent. We Christians need to be routinely smacked upside the heart so we get it; because the world will politically-correct us right into a grave of inaction if we’re not careful. The life of the believer is to be a life of active discipline and self-discipline. Notice, it isn’t to be a life of punishment. It’s: eat your peas, do your sit-ups, wash your elbows, and behind your ears. Take care of your heart, be concerned about the things of God.

2.) [They] will turn aside to myths. What are some modern myths? What are some flat-out lies that we comfortably believe to be the truth? They’re out there: and many believe them.

One popular myth: some sins aren’t all that bad. Another is: I’ll be okay all by myself if I don’t have to interact with too many others – I can go it alone. Another is: I can improve myself. Another is: I’m okay because I live in America. Another is: there are some things in this life that are too big to fail.

Paul told Timothy, as Timothy led his congregation, that believers need to be treated with godly dignity and respect by being slapped around by the hard truth so they won’t fall into comfortable myths as a result. Soft myths will make us fall into the sound sleep of error if we’re not careful. The Christian-life is hard enough by itself without the life-saving effects of self-discipline. We need to be reproved, rebuked, and exhorted to withstand what is daily coming at us so that we have the strength and wherewithal to attend to the Master’s purposes. One small indicator of our spiritual strength is simply: what is the content, frequency, and quality of our prayer-life? Feeling guilty yet? I do!

What myths do I hold as true? What have I comfortably embraced as truth that is, in reality, toxic? In myself I can certainly name a few. Paul told Timothy the stark truth because that is the only way to approach life as a Christian (and as a pastor). People are just like a lot of other things in life: like moving water they will always follow the course of least resistance. If there’s one thing we need in this life as believers it’s resistance against the things that lead us away from the truth.

Today, I am rebuked, reproved, and reminded that without diligence I will lapse into indolence with regard to my spiritual well-being. I need to be slapped around because the regular blows of truth will protect me from the subtle kisses of sin. Lord, help me!