Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 4:2,3

There are over 40,000 different Christian denominations around the world, each one with its own unique teachings. So, if there is only one God and only one Bible, why is there so much variety?

The apostle Paul answers this in today’s Bible passage. People won’t put up with the sound doctrine God speaks in his Bible. Instead, they follow teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear. Over the last two millennia, this has resulted in many churches.

In a way, it’s understandable. You know how hard it is to tell people something they do not want to hear, especially if you’re correcting their sinful lifestyle or erroneous beliefs.

Because the Word can offend sinners, there will always be a temptation to twist its meaning—not just for pastors and teachers, but for all Christians. If you do that, however, you set up yourself and others for eternal disaster.

Thankfully, Paul doesn’t just describe the problem; he also gives the solution. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season” (v. 2). That is, stand by the Bible’s sound doctrine, not only when it’s popular but also when it isn’t.

Jesus knows what it’s like to be unpopular for speaking the truth—he was crucified for it! He gave his life as a sacrifice for sins, and you are forgiven when you avoid the truth, ignore the truth, and forget the truth.

And that’s the key: When God has spoken it, it is the truth. He promises to bless all his words that come from your mouth. When you speak the word with great patience, you won’t always tell people what they want to hear, but you will always tell them what they need to hear. Stick with the sound doctrine that prepares you for your eternal home.

Prayer:

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.