This thought of mingling our reading of the Scriptures with prayer we call pray-reading. Though we introduced this term about ten years ago, the prayerful reading of the Word has been practiced by many saints of old. George Muller described his morning watch as a blending of reading the Word and praying over it. He called this way of praying over the Word the soul-nourishing way. (Of course, he was actually nourishing his spirit, but the Brethren did not know the distinction between soul and spirit.)
Reading the Word and praying must go hand in hand. The inspiration to pray spontaneously arises when we begin to read the Word. We need to cultivate this inspiration rather than try to interpret what we read.
It is most beneficial to our spiritual health to inhale God’s breath. Just as deep breathing brings fresh air into our lungs and expels the bad air, so our whole being can be cleansed by deep breathing God’s breath. This is the highest hygiene. Inhaling the fresh air of God’s Word will do more for us than memorizing it. Memorizing is an exercise of our mentality; praying over the Word is an exercise of our spirit.
By taking in God’s Word we receive the truth into our being. In this way we are built up as the pillar and base of the truth. By staying in this pure air and deep breathing, we shall be kept from the noxious fumes of fables, vain jangling, and perverse disputings.
In the church of the living God, the Lord expects His children to be living. These two Epistles contain many commands that Paul expected Timothy to act on. When the church is degraded, the satanic lie comes in to whisper, “You cannot make it; you are too weak.” The children of the living God must denounce this lie and receive the imperative word. This is the behavior expected of us in the house of God. We shall consider just a few of the commands given here. If you go over these Epistles carefully, you will find many more exhortations, indicating that the Lord requires us to exercise our initiative to “lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:12) and reject the subtle lie that we are weak.
In both of these Epistles Paul told Timothy to flee. “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (6:11, Gk.). Timothy was to flee from the love of money and its attendant evils. He was to withdraw from those men of corrupt minds who were teaching differently for gain. He was to turn from one direction to another, fleeing evil things and pursuing righteousness and godliness. “Flee also youthful lusts: but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22, Gk.). This second exhortation to flee what is evil and pursue what is pure shows what a high standard we must maintain. We must be pure in our thinking, pure in our word, pure in our way of looking at things, pure in our motives, pure in our heart, and even pure in our anger.
When Timothy received these Epistles from Paul, he was a young man, yet Paul exhorted him, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12, Gk.). There are many young people in the church life. Do not let anyone despise your youth; rather, be an example to others, not in looseness but in purity. In human society the church must present the highest standard of morality, ethics, and character. The church as a golden lampstand is a tower full of light, expressing the divine nature.
“Refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (4:7). “Foolish and unlearned questions avoid” (2 Tim. 2:23). “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). “Keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14). Because we have the living Lord within, we are able to keep these commandments.
“God hath not given us the spirit of cowardice; but of power, and of love, and of a sober mind” (2 Tim. 1:7, Gk.). God has given us a spirit that empowers our will, strengthens our love, and sobers our mind. There is no excuse for us to be jellyfish!
Notice the conclusion of these Epistles. “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:22). For the Lord Jesus to be with your spirit means that grace is with you. In that grace you are empowered (“Thou therefore, my son, be empowered in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”-2 Tim. 2:1, Gk.).
This empowering grace will make us living and strong to support the truth. The church has been going through a time when the truth has been undermined and even openly attacked. Perverse teachings have been allowed to spread throughout the recovery. Dear ones, what behavior is required of us in the church of the living God? As His living children, we must rise up to protest and reject these efforts to draw us away from God’s economy. What a strong testimony we must be for the truth, that all may see that the church is in very fact the pillar and base of the truth!
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