“A yardstick”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, February 10, 2023
2 Timothy 3:1-17 (Forward, p. 12) CEV p. 1251
I’m afraid that I am woefully ill-equipped when it comes to estimating distances or measures or weights of anything. For me, it is far, far better to actually measure it out rather than to hazard a guess, for my guesses are almost inevitably out at least a bit.
In a sense, I find it easier to take ‘the measure of a person’ for happily the Scriptures provide a kind of yardstick to judge or assess human conduct. Today’s passage, taken from one of the apostle Paul’s letters to his friend and protégé Timothy, provides such yardsticks. In it, Paul describes five of them:
a) The general run-of-the-mill folk during the last days. He describes them as:
-selfish: loving only themselves
-greedy: loving money
-boastful, proud
-conceited, stuck up, arrogant
-insulting towards others, rude, abusive
-disobedient to their parents
-ungrateful
-irreligious, godless, unholy
-unkind, heartless, inhumane
-merciless, hateful, implacable
-slanderers; given to cruel words
-violent; having no self-control or pity
-fierce
-hating what is good
-treacherous, sneaky
-reckless
-swollen, puffed up with pride or conceit
-loving pleasure rather than God
-holding the outward form of religion while rejecting its true power; making a show of being religious their religion won’t be real. Timothy is told to avoid all such people.
b) Certain would-be leaders. These are described as those who make their way into households and captivate or gain control of weak women, women who are already burdened or overwhelmed by the guilt of their sins and swayed, kept captive, controlled by all sorts of desires. He says that such people are always seeking after knowledge but never quite ‘make it’, never really become fully knowledgable. Paul says that the folly of such people will eventually become quite well-known, quite evident.
c) Paul himself. Here he says: “Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering the things that happened to me…” (verses 10-11);
d) His upbringing: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvations through faith in Christ Jesus” (verses 14-15);
e) The Scriptures; then Paul continues in this same vein. “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work” (verses 16-17). So, notice then, that the Scriptures are useful both in terms of theory/ content—what we believe and practice, how we live it out.
I think that it would be fair to say that many of the disreputable character and behaviour qualities mentioned by Paul are quite evident, even in fashion, today. And, there are no end of people who prey upon impressable or gullible people. And certainly, there are many people who have ‘the form of religion’, of religiosity, without the power thereof.
So, as Paul suggests, it is good to seek out, an imitate, those who live out a different kind of lifestyle, and to model our lives upon theirs. And likewise, it is crucial to be ‘into’ the Scriptures and allow them to be ‘in us’, shaping both our thoughts and beliefs on the one hand, and our actions, our deeds, on the other. Those should be the yardsticks for our lives. Then we can truly be well-equipped and useful servants of God and fellow workers with Him. Amen.
Forward notes: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (verse 14).
“My mom is a retired Spanish college professor. She loved her students. We went to their games, plays, and concerts. We had dinner where they waited tables. If one of them was in film school, they would show us their films. She gave a lot of homework and had high expectations, but she went out of her way to have relationships with her college undergrads. It is because of her that I try to get to games and other school events. I will make it to lacrosse this year!
“My mother instilled in me the same attitude toward church that was given to her from her parents. We don’t miss church. We don’t blow off Ash Wednesday. Maundy Thursday is coming; get that pedicure! If I am having a bad week and ask her to pray for me or a friend or my children, the first thing she asks is, ‘Did you start with ‘thy will be done’?”
“I know where I learned it. I believe in it and plan to continue.”
Moving Forward: “Do you start with ‘thy will be done?