Feelings

2 Timothy 2:1-18

I read this quote this week: “Don’t let your feelings inform your doctrine, make your doctrine inform your feelings.” Burk Parsons

That led me to this chapter........Who is our Anchor? and How do maintain this truth in spite of our emotions or feelings?

Paul is telling Timothy to stir that gift up in him.....what is the gift? It was the gift of the ministry of the Word of God........Timothy, as well as, Paul had to function in an environment of fear, heresy, and challenges to their leadership in the Gospel.

Timothy was young and was set out to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but he faced many challenges.....In life we all are faced with many things and it seems that we can be moved or dictated by emotion/feelings. Paul is instructing Timothy to stay with what he knows, what is our faith, what is our hope, and what is our truth! Never being moved away from that!

As a believer, one of the traits of the Holy Spirit is courage, not fear........This verse seems to mean many things to folks, but it has one meaning here, in that we are not ashamed of what we believe or teach.....

It produces power.....courage to boldly claim the Truth in amongst opposition.

I reminded of Peter and John.....Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

It was said of them right after they said......Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

To declare that in their time was basically a deaths sentence..........

Power is produced by the Holy Spirit through someone that believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

It seems that is what Paul is telling Timothy as he continues in this chapter....

It is what we believe and the fruits of that is why we live unashamed in this world.

Yes, feelings attempt to dictate that.....but it is what we know and believe/trust that should always dictate our lives!

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

It produces love that centers on pleasing God and seeking others welfare before one’s own......

Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

This love will overcome selfish feelings and will push through difficult circumstances.....it overcomes the fear!

It produces a sound mind.......A sound mind in this world/society might not be what is meant here.......What Paul is referring to is sound mind as far as discipline is concerned.....

It refers to a self-controlled and properly prioritized mind........Focusing on the sovereign nature and perfect purposes of our eternal God allows believers to control their lives with Godly wisdom and confidence in every situation.

To society living in this fashion is foolishness......therefore the world’s definition of a sound mind is not believers in Christ.

Matter of fact we are listed as a mental disorder in some institutions. We are mad, crazy!

What gives me ease and peace is that the Truth of God through Scripture is so pure, that it cannot be out of control!

So do not be ashamed, do not be dictated by those emotions that cause us to step away from living for God.....depression, anger, over-indulgences, etc. Those responses are empty and have no eternal value!

What has eternal value is the testimony of Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul had suffered many things because of Jesus and was willing to continue to suffer.....because he was fully convinced of Jesus Christ and the fact that the Lord will keep what He has committed to Paul.

Notice that he didn’t say anything about deliverance from bad circumstances,, but that the Lord was able to keep what He had committed to him, which is the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

That was Paul’s concern! Living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ (following Jesus) is our concern!

We must ask ourselves are we fully persuaded that if we continue in following after Jesus that He will keep us in that calling till His glorious appearing?

Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures viii. Feelings

THIS is a great statement, but our primary interest in it is this exhortation which the Apostle here addresses to Timothy, to the effect that he should ‘stir up’ the gift that is in him. And I call your attention to it as part of our general consideration of the subject which we have described as ‘spiritual depression’. We are trying to diagnose and treat the case of the so-called miserable Christian. We have been at pains to indicate that the very term, in and of itself, directs our attention to that which is so essentially wrong about the condition. These words are really incompatible and yet we must put them together because they are an accurate description of certain people—miserable Christians. It should be impossible, but actually it is a fact. There should not be such a thing, but there is such a thing, and it is our business, as we understand the teaching of the Scriptures, both the Old Testament and the New, to deal with this condition.