I don't know about you, but when Sarah and I watch a movie (a chick flick) it is almost impossible for me to stay focused. Chances are there is some sporting event I would much rather be watching, and my attention drifts to my phone to watch it. Which almost always leads Sarah to asking— ”Are you even watching this? Do you even care about what is going on in this movie?” I tend to think I have the superpower of watching two things at once, and occasionally I can guess what is happening in the movie. I mean let’s be honest, all Hallmark movies are the same! Different actors, different setting, same plot! I say all this because it ties into today's scripture reading:
“As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.” 1 Timothy 1:2-4
Paul is writing to Timothy to stay focused, to be on guard against false teachings. We all probably know of things that claim to be Christian but are clearly not. From the music we listen to, or books we read, and even the shows we watch, although they may “claim” to be faith based, we should be ready to call out false teachings. Especially in the world we live today, marketing companies are trying to pull our attention every second they can. Did you know that the average human attention span is about 8 seconds?! To make it even worse, a goldfish is about 9 seconds! Long story short, it is very easy for us to move on to the next task or thought. Just as Paul is warning Timothy, we too should be ready to shut down bad teaching. False doctrine is not going to help anyone but only cause confusion and controversy. Here the kicker though, we need to be able to know the difference between good and bad doctrine, so with that comes studying God’s Word. We need to be able to focus and mediate on God’s Word daily. We see later on in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is God-breathed and use for teaching, rebuking, correcting and so on. Let today's devotion be a charge to stay focused, let us be genuine with the time we devote to the reading of God’s word, so when the time comes to speak out—we are ready!
“As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.” 1 Timothy 1:2-4
Paul is writing to Timothy to stay focused, to be on guard against false teachings. We all probably know of things that claim to be Christian but are clearly not. From the music we listen to, or books we read, and even the shows we watch, although they may “claim” to be faith based, we should be ready to call out false teachings. Especially in the world we live today, marketing companies are trying to pull our attention every second they can. Did you know that the average human attention span is about 8 seconds?! To make it even worse, a goldfish is about 9 seconds! Long story short, it is very easy for us to move on to the next task or thought. Just as Paul is warning Timothy, we too should be ready to shut down bad teaching. False doctrine is not going to help anyone but only cause confusion and controversy. Here the kicker though, we need to be able to know the difference between good and bad doctrine, so with that comes studying God’s Word. We need to be able to focus and mediate on God’s Word daily. We see later on in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is God-breathed and use for teaching, rebuking, correcting and so on. Let today's devotion be a charge to stay focused, let us be genuine with the time we devote to the reading of God’s word, so when the time comes to speak out—we are ready!