STAY AT THE POST

STAY AT THE POST

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season ..." 2 Timothy 4:2

It happened again this morning and I don't want to sound like a broken record. I was amazed how everything I read today spoke directly to me heart as if all of the devotional writers had a meeting to talk about me!

Paul wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy and charged him to be faithful to his post. In the first letter to Timothy, things were going great. The church was experiencing growth and it was apparently an exciting time. But by the second letter, the picture was quite different.

The world was in chaos. Christians were deserting their faith and returning to their old way of life. Some we being martyred for their faith. There was rebellion in the ranks and even the leadership in the church was in disarray.

Paul reminds his "son in the faith" that despite all that was going on around him, he needed to be faithful to his calling and to take a firm stand. One commentator says, "Timothy's post was the pulpit of his church. From that pulpit, he maintained his leadership, imparted his vision, issued rebukes, taught and preached the Word, and brought correction. It was HIS POST! No one else could stand in that position, because it was HIS position that had to be assigned to him by God. Even though times were very tough and he may have been tempted to shun his responsibilities, Paul urged him, 'Stay at your post.'

Someone translated this verse this way: "Take a firm stand and resolve to stay at your post! Regardless of whether times are good or bad, that is your post - your place of responsibility - so dig in, take a firm stand, and resolve that you are going to be faithful!"

Now that is what I needed to hear this morning. We are going through some challenging times right now. Our cash flow is very tight (and we have been there so many times before and God has ALWAYS been faithful!), we have several staffing challenges right now that are causing unusual stress, and I am in the midst of the hardest part of the year because of the intensity of the schedule.

Quite honestly, the past several days I have found myself saying, "I don't think I can handle this, Lord. Maybe someone else is more qualified or better suited to lead this ministry." The voices in my head are screaming - "it's time to get out of town" and yet, I know that those voices are not the right ones to listen to.

The commentator I quoted above goes on to make these observations: "This was just the word that Timothy needed to encourage him to stand tall, be brave, and remain faithful to his assignment. His struggles passed, and he became a respected leader of the Christians in the region of Asia Minor. In the years he served as the senior pastor of Ephesus, Timothy had many different kinds of seasons - some good, some not so good. But regardless, he stayed at his post until the very end ..."

"What kind of season are you going through right now? Is it a happy season? Or are you experiencing hard times? Those happy seasons are such wonderful times, and you should do everything you can to enjoy them. But what are you going to do in the hard times? Are you going to be as faithful and steadfast when you face difficult challenges as you were when things seemed a little easier?

Take Paul's words to Timothy, and apply them to yourself. This is not a time for you to run in fear or to look for someone else to take your place. IF GOD CALLED YOU TO THAT POST, IT'S TIME TO FOR YOU TO DIG IN, TAKE A FIRM STAND, AND RESOLVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE FAITHFUL WHETHER TIMES ARE GOOD OR BAD." (Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Jenner)

Wow! Could that message have been more timely in my life? Has He called you to a particular job or ministry? Are you ready to abandon your post? Maybe you are going through a tough time in your marriage. I don't know what you are facing - but maybe His word to you today is the same one that I needed to hear - "Take a firm stand and resolve to stay at your post!"

Thanks, Lord, for the awareness that YOU KNOW what I am facing today. With Your help I am resolving to stay at my post!

Great Quote: "Wise men talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something!"

Don't miss Twila Paris and the Korean Children's Choir. Order your tickets today for the concert on Thursday evening, August 9, 2007! Call today for reservations: 732-350-1187. Check out the website for more
details: www.americaskeswick.org.