Today's Passage - 2 Timothy 3 14

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 3:14   But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it   Paul exhorted Timothy to keep God's word in his heart.  Knowing God's word requires effort in studying; additionally, one needs to be humble and learn from other believers.  In this regard, Timothy had set up a good example for all of us. Taught by his mother and grandmother, he learnt and understood the Bible since his youth.  He also made an effort and studied His word diligently, and as a result, Paul was willing to entrust him with the church in Ephesus.  In addition, as a follower of Paul, he came to know God and served Him under Paul's guidance and teachings.   In our spiritual journey, we have often been encouraged by God's words through brothers and sisters. Many are anxious to attain worldly knowledge by studying and working at the same time; but ironically, we lack similar attitude in our spiritual lives. We believe going to Sunday school may not be a necessity as we can learn by ourselves. No wonder our spiritual growth has been stunted. Other Christians have remained the same after ten years without any progress. May the Lord grant us a heart of humility and willingness to learn His words together with other brothers and sisters.   On the other hand, God's words provide us with the assurance; they are the wisdom of salvation, the lamp for our feet and light on our paths no matter how the values of this world and our circumstances may change. In this world of skeptical attitude, we need to be steadfast in standing for the truth, else we would be swept away in the turbulence of a storm.  Paul says, 'But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.."  'To be convinced of" means to meditate constantly.  We need to be studious in reading the Bible and not to forget what we have read, at the same time, we need to actively put what we have learnt into practice.   We need to put God's words into action as we meditate every passage to see there are promises, comfort or command in His words and meditate accordingly.  The minute you are doing that, your lives and behavior would naturally be transformed.  If your thoughts are filled with worldly matters, it is only natural that you behave like this world, but on the contrary, if your thoughts are filled with God's words, you will naturally lead a life like Christ.  Keeping God's word in your heart is the beginning of a victorious life.                                           Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank for your words for they have become the lamps for our feet and the light on our paths. May you help us to keep your words in our hearts as they are the assurance of our faith in overcoming temptations and attacks from our enemies. With thanks we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!