2 Timothy 2:22

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 2:22   

“Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22

The thought in our focus verse is straightforward, even if the mandated response can be difficult: there are acts that are heinous, immoral, unlawful, or otherwise contrary to God and goodness, and regarding these actions Timothy is being urged to flee these things. Timothy is a young man and unmarried. And because of this, Paul is instructing Timothy to flee the evil desires of youth. The Greek word translated lust here is epithumia, which has the idea of an earnest longing or desire, especially for what is forbidden. Paul almost always uses this word as regarding negative behavior or impulses. This same Greek word is used by Paul in Romans where He said, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.” Romans 1:24.

The idea is that if we do not flee these sinful desires, we may end up following these ways. So, what are these deeds?  “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. Paul refers to these as the desires of the flesh. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:16-17.  

But the ethic Paul calls for is not simply one of sin negation. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Galatians 5:18.  This certainly is or can be true of Timothy.  But Paul is calling Timothy to go further.  He is to substitute these illicit longings with the pursuit of ‘righteousness, faith, love and peace’. This idea is as simple as what Paul wrote to the Church in Rome. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21. In essence he is saying not to allow ourselves to be overcome by these desires simply by trying not to do it but overcome them by doing what is good in its place. Paul again wrote to the Galatians the following, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. We are to live under the influences of the Holy Spirit and admit His influences fully into your hearts. And do not resist Him but yield to all His suggestions.

This is something we need to examine within ourselves. Is there something we do that entices us to sin? Are their questionable books or movies we pursue that cause us to indulge in sinful thoughts?  These could be illicit articles, or they could raise hate, anger, or other negative feelings in us. Do we focus on what people have done to us or against us? These also can raise improper desires in us. We need to look inside ourselves and see what causes us to sin. We then should pray about it, flee from these things, and focus on what the Holy Spirit calls us to do, that being pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. And notice the last part of our focus verse. “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22b. We do not need to do this alone. He is saying get with our brothers and sisters in Christ, where we can lift each other up in prayer and encourage each other in our Christian walk.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Ephesians 6:14b

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Ephesians 6:14b   

“And HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,” – Ephesians 6:14b

I want to start with the several verses that introduce this idea Paul is putting forth.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13.  He is telling us to put on the full armor of God for the following reason, that we can stand firmly against the powers of the enemy, namely the sly schemes of the devil. 

The next part of our armor is the breastplate of righteousness.  This idea is first seen in the book of Isaiah.  “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.” Isaiah 59:17.  The idea put forth here is not simply works of righteousness done by men, although these are important and can be like a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, but rather graces of faith and love.  “For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8.

The breastplate covers the heart of the soldier.  This does not seem to mean the righteousness of God imputed to us when we make Christ our Lord and Savior which means our justification and the forgiveness of our sins.  “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” Romans 3:21-22.  It speaks of our uprightness of character, loyalty in principle and action to the commandments of God.  To neglect what we know to be righteous action is to leave a gaping hole in our armor and to show that we really do not love Him as we claim.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.  By the holiness of our conduct, and our consciousness thereof, we defend ourselves from being moved by the calumnies and reproaches of the wicked. No armor for the back is mentioned; we are always to face our enemies.

In closing, we put on the breastplate of righteousness by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else.  We make Him and His ways our dwelling place.   We delight in His ways and desire for them to become our ways.  When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work through us.  And as we wear Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates to actions.  Wearing it creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we truly believe in our hearts, and as our lives become conformed to the image of Christ our choices become more righteous, and these Godly choices also protect us from temptation and deception.  “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3.  We need to wear the  breastplate of righteousness in order to gain the victory Paul laid out in 2 Corinthians.  “not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you,” 2 Corinthians 10:15.  We are destroying all falsity and speculations raised against the knowledge of God we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  When we quickly reject heretical ideas, idolatry, and the “counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1) and instead “keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”, we keep our breastplate securely fastened, prepared to take on the enemy by standing firm in the battle.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

2 Corinthians 6:14

Verse of the Day Devotion:  2 Corinthians 6:14

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14

Paul here is telling the Church in Corinth they need to ensure they do not become bound to unbelievers.  This term, “bound together” is a military term which has the idea of keeping in your own ranks.  In other words, do not leave the Christian community to join in that of the heathens.  The verb ‘together’ signifies to leave one’s own rank, place, or order, and go into another; and here it must signify not only that they should not associate with the Gentiles in their idolatrous feasts, but that they should not apostatize from Christianity. 

This thought is found in the Old Testament.  In Leviticus we read, “You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.” Leviticus 19:19.  And in Deuteronomy we read,  “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.” Deuteronomy 22:9-11.  The idea here is that there should be no mixing of different animals, seeds or fabrics, that it is important that purity is maintained.  We see in our focus verse that the purity suggested is true Christians with non-Christians involving activities and lifestyles of the non-believer.  Now, it is important that we understand what is meant by unbeliever.  It is not someone who is a Christian that struggles with belief in certain areas.  In this event, we need to teach him and help him understand that they may grow as a Christian.  In our focus verse, unbelievers are non-Christians and this makes things clearer. 

Now, Paul is not saying we are to ban social interactions with unbelievers.  For how can we be a light in the darkness if we choose not to let unbelievers see our light.  What he is saying is that we must not  participate with them in activities that are sinful.  We should not worship false gods if they do or speak evil of Christ if they do.  However, we can interact with them in such a way that the light of Christ shines forth from us and the unbeliever sees it.  In this, we are showing them what our life is all about and it may open a door to present the gospel message to them.

In the last part of our focus verse he asks two important questions. “for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”  2 Corinthians 6:14b.  The answer to both of these rhetorical questions is ‘none’.  In the next verse he asks, “Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” 2 Corinthians 6:15.  Again, the answer to both are none.  But again, this does not negate any opportunity to share the gospel.  They are referring to the different beliefs and practices which do not mix or there is no unity between.  But that does not say that we should never associate with them for they need to hear the truth.

Paul in his letter to the church at Rome says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” Romans 10:12-15.  It is important that we preach the gospel to those who do not know Him, for how can they know if no one tells them.  Therefore, Paul is not saying we should ostracize them, but we are not to engage in their sinful practices.  We can fellowship with them without sharing in their sinful activities.  They need to hear the truth and we are the ones called to tell them. “And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  Mark 16:15

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

1 Peter 2:24

Verse of the Day Devotion:  1 Peter 2:24  

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24

As Good Friday and Resurrection Day approaches, it is good to look at what this day means and the importance of it to our lives.  This day came because of the love God has for each and every one of us.  From the beginning of mankind to today, mankind has rebelled against God through sin.  Adam and Eve while in the garden, succumbed to the temptation of Satan and sinned.  God told them not to eat of a particular tree in the garden.  “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17.  However, they disobeyed Him which was sin.  “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.  And from this time forward, there has been no one who has lived a completely sinless life.  Except one.

For our dilemma, God had a solution.  There was a need for one man to be born and live a perfect life, so that he could pay for the sins of everyone else.  This could not be a normal person, for no man has ever lived a life without sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.  So, He had a son who would be able to live a life without sin who could then pay the penalty for ours.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” He understands and sympathizes with us, because He was a born a man through Mary, a woman.  And He is able to address our sinfulness by providing a perfect sacrifice through Himself because He was sinless, being God in human flesh.  And this is the message of our focus verse.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24.

This shows the incredible love God has for us.  First, He knew we would sin against Him for He knows all things. “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,” Isaiah 46:8-10.  But He stilled loved us and therefore He provided a way to address the sins and cleanse us from them.  And all we need to do is confess them with repentance.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

Jesus came with the sole purpose of paying the penalty for our sins.  “But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:21-23. Jesus never sinned therefore He could pay the penalty for us all.  It was a horrible and cruel death, but He endured it all for us.  This is perfect love from a perfect God.  Give thanks to Him for without Jesus, we would all die in our sins and enter eternal punishment; but with Him we have eternal life with Him.  How beautiful is that.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 23:3

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Psalm 23:3   

“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:3

Let me start by referring to verses one and two, for there is context here I would like to bring up.  “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” Psalm 23:1-2.  The main job of the shepherd is to take care of the flock, providing all their needs.  David, in referring to God as the great shepherd was saying that God provides everything we need.  Every day He leads us to green pastures and to quiet waters where we have access to good food and fresh water we need regularly.  These verses refer to our physical needs.

Moving on to verse three, our focus verse, we see another aspect of His shepherdship.  “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3.  In the Hebrew, He restoreth my soul has the idea of bringing it back.  No creature is more ready to go astray, or more likely not to know the way back, then a sheep.  Isaiah says it this way, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:6. 

When we are saved, we become a part of Christ’s flock.  He feeds us and supplies our every need.  However, there may be times we find ourselves wandering.  Unfortunately, we are not perfect, even after we give our lives to Him.  However, if we wonder away, He will come after us because we may not know exactly the way back.  We see this in the parable of the lost sheep.  “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:12-14.  Putting this back into the vernacular of Psalm twenty-three, He restores our soul means to bring us back to the flock.   We also read in an earlier Psalm about restoring the soul.  “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7. His word is used to reprove us when necessary, as well as train us in God’s ways.  “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16. 

He also guides us in the paths of righteousness.  “He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3b.  In this sense, it is not referring to paths that lead us to salvation, although He also does this.  However, what he is referring to are straight and even paths that do not lead us astray but directly to our destination.  And our destination is righteousness, salvation and holiness.  He will always avoid those paths that take us where we should not go but will only take us on roads that bring us directly to where we need to be.

It is important that we stay close to our shepherd, Jesus Christ, for He will keep us free from danger and lead us to the land flowing with milk and honey.  If we focus on Him and His word, we will be less likely to wonder away and get lost.  And if we do, He will go after us and bring us back to where we need to be.  This is the picture of our great shepherd Jesus the Christ, and how He will always guide us to where we should go, and if we wonder will bring us back.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 5:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 5:20 

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20    

These verses address an important concept within Jesus’ teachings here.  He starts by speaking of the Law given to Moses in the Old Testament.  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.  He did not come to destroy the law, which is what the scribes and Pharisees believed He did.  On the contrary, He came to, as the preacher John Wesley put it, “to establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both by His life and doctrine.”  In other words, live it out as it was intended. 

He then goes further, ”For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:18-19.  The law is still in place.  Until heaven and earth pass away, meaning when the new heaven and earth is created, the law will still be in effect.  Now no part of it, no matter how small, will be done away with.  Additionally no part of the law  should be  annulled,  and no-one should be encouraged to ignore any part of it, for if they did, they will be seen as least in the kingdom of heaven. 

Now we come to the critical verse in this section.  “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.  Now, how can this be?  What does Jesus mean by ‘righteousness that surpasses the scribes and Pharisees?”  We must understand how these Jewish leaders saw the keeping of the law.  They saw righteousness as literal obedience to rules and regulations.  And if this is what is meant, it would be hard to know of anyone who attempted it more rigorously and consistently then the scribes and Pharisees.  However, this is not completely what is intended.  Jesus here in the following verses has a much deeper meaning in mind.   He now gives six examples of items in the law where He intends a much deeper idea.

  1. “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” Matthew 5:21-22.
  2. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28.
  3. “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32
  4. “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Matthew 5:33-27.
  5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42.
  6. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45.

Jesus gives these six instances to show that the law taught by the scribes and Pharisees is not necessarily wrong, but as presented by them does not go far enough.  He says, “you have heard it said”, literal interpretation.  Then “but I say”, deeper meaning, what is intended.  He was giving the spirit of the moral and ritual idea; how to walk in them in a manner that truly pleases God, one that points to the Christ, and how He follows them.  The scribes and Pharisees were only interested in following the letter of the law, not interested in becoming one who becomes it on the inside as well. 

Jesus does not want us to only do, but to become as well.  He wants us to live it out because we love Him and want to please Him.  Are we to follow the law?  Yes, but not as a way of salvation, but as a way of life itself.  And He is always there to help us fulfil this calling.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth.  “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13.  We can only know the whole truth by studying His word.  And when we apply it to our lives, we are transformed into the very image of Christ by His Spirit.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

2 Timothy 3:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 3:16 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” – 2 Timothy 3:16

I believe this verse is one of the most important ideas Paul relayed to Timothy.  There are some intriguing points in this section of chapter 3, one of the most interesting ones is found in verses 14 and 15 where Paul says, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15.  He starts out by saying Timothy learned the sacred writings and, being convinced they were true, continued in learning all he could about them.  These sacred texts referred to by Paul are basically the Old Testament documents. And it is through these sacred writings that he learned the truth which led to his salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Now, to our focus verse.  Paul is saying that all scripture is inspired by God.  So, what does he mean by ‘All Scripture’?  Many believe that this refers only to the Old Testament because of what we saw above.  First, the writer of Hebrews says, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2.  Before God spoke to us through the prophets and many other ways, such as visions and dreams.  However in this time, speaking of when Christ was here and going forward, He spoke through Christ.  And this message of the gospel taught by Paul was given to him by a revelation from Christ.  “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:11-12.  And also note Peter speaking of Paul, “and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16.  This unequivocally states the Paul’s writings are considered scripture. 

Paul’s writings did nothing more than explain what the Old Testament was actually saying, and what Christ Himself taught.  And because this is what all the writers of the New Testament did, I have to include the New Testament into the group called Holy Scriptures, as well as those not recorded but taught in the same way.  And all these are inspired by God and thus are profitable for the following.  One, for teaching everyone what God is actually communicating to us and what we are to do and not do, believe and not believe, and act out and not act out.  Two, for reproof and correction; helping us understand and convincing us of any wrongs we have done and leading us to repentance and reparations if required.  And third, for training us in righteousness; what is actually right and what is actually wrong.

And why is this important?  “so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  1 Timothy.  All scripture is used to help us live the life we are called to live.   That includes the Old and New Testaments.  To those alive during the writing of 2 Timothy, these were inspired and communicated by God to the writers and teachers.  Therefore, we must take the time to learn all they say and live accordingly.  For it is God’s calling for us to be equipped for every good work He puts before us. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.