A Christian in the Last Days
Monday, June 08, 2009
Today’s passage: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:2-7
This passage describes how the world will be in the “last days”. Overcome with sin, these people can be compared to the people in Noah’s day and the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah before their destruction. Evil has abounded since Cain’s murder of Abel and in fact can be traced back to Satan’s temptation and man’s selfishness.
Every day we hear of murders, rapes and burglaries due to the selfishness and hatred of humankind. We can probably list people in every category above, but have we looked inward as well? Our tendency is to look for “really bad” people to which we can compare ourselves because it makes us feel as if we are good. Yet, our standard should not be others’ lives but instead, the Word of God. Comparing ourselves to Christ and His life can suddenly change this elevated view of ourselves.
If all man sins, how can we overcome? If these are the qualities of the people who live in the world around us, then what are Christians to be? An antonym of each sin listed will serve to show us what qualities we should have as Christian women.
Christian Characteristics:
1. Denying self and noticing/caring for others
2. Giving to others; not neglectful of family
3. Encouraging, complimentary; give anonymously
4. Humble; recognize accomplishments of others
5. Compassionate; not abusive or harsh
6. Obedient to parents, employer, authority figures (unless contrary to God’s law)
7. Thankful and grateful
8. Holy, striving for purity
9. Loving and considerate
10. Forgiving of others
11. Truthful, sincere, trustworthy
12. In control of our emotions
13. Gentle and kind
14. Loving good and shunning evil; speaking out for the right
15. Safe, respectful of God’s gift of life
16. Thoughtful, considerate
17. Meek, low-maintenance
18. Lovers of God and His people
19. Glorifying God and thanking Him for our talents
How can we know how to recognize these sins so that we can overcome them? Only by studying can we do so. God grants wisdom if we ask, but we are expected to acquire the knowledge in order to apply it correctly. Wisdom is the correct application of the knowledge we have learned through our own study of the Word.
Notice the last few verses of the passage: “They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” As women, we have the responsibility to learn the truth so that we aren’t confused into believing falsehood. Generally speaking, women are more tenderhearted and gentle than men and this can lead to decision making that comes from our feelings instead of our mind. Although there are plenty of exceptions, women typically are led by emotion as opposed to men who can be very rational. (God intended this because we are the perfect complement to each other!)
While compassion is a blessing to us as women, if we are not solid in the Word, we can believe something because it makes us feel good. The Bereans did not trust Paul based on hearing his teachings alone. They verified that he spoke the truth by their own daily studies of the Word as expressed in Acts 17:11.
No matter how wonderful and intelligent our preacher, elders and deacons, teachers or parents seem to be, we should reject any teaching that cannot be verified in the Scriptures. Paul himself wrote this to the church at Galatia: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” Galatians 1:8. The Bible contains all that we need for salvation and no new revelation is needed. If it can’t be verified in the Word, it shouldn’t be accepted as truth.
We see that evil can pretend to be light as evident by Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” II Corinthians 11:14. We can be easily misled if we are not well-studied in the Scriptures and ready to recognize sin.
As women, we seldom leave our clothes or jewelry at home, but we should ensure that we put on the characteristics of a Christian every time we awake. These 19 characteristics will serve us well. And the best part is that they are free and they match every outfit!
