If You Believe, Then …

2 Timothy 2:19 But God’s strong foundation never moves, and these words are written on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him.” Also, these words are written there: “Everyone who says they believe in the Lord must stop doing wrong.”It’s that last bit that I want us to focus on today that we might stop the hypocrisy, end the duplicity, and with all our hearts set ourselves apart, holy and blameless in Christ.

Can I ask you to think back over this last week and ask yourself, what thoughts have I had, what words have I spoken, what things have I done that I know absolutely are wrong? Hold on to those, because we’re about to talk them through, you and I.

Some who say they believe in Jesus live lives that proclaim the precise opposite. On the one hand they purport to be holy, on the other they live scandalous lives perverting or ignoring the Word of God.

Now, I’m hoping and praying that you’re not one of those … but truly, we all fall short of the glory of God; we all have things even just in this past week that we’re not proud of; we’re all to some extent, hypocrites – saying one thing whilst doing another.

And it’s into that reality that God has this to say through the Apostle Paul, writing to his young ministry protégé Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:19 But God’s strong foundation never moves, and these words are written on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him.” Also, these words are written there: “Everyone who says they believe in the Lord must stop doing wrong.”It’s that last bit that I want us to focus on today that we might stop the hypocrisy, end the duplicity, and with all our hearts set ourselves apart, holy and blameless in Christ.

Now fortunately that’s something that we can’t do in our own strength – neither do we have to. Because if you believe in Jesus, you have His Spirit who has already given you all the power you need to turn away from evil. So, in that context … with that power … stop doing what’s wrong.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.