Deeply Rooted (When I Read Your Word)

  R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 2:1-3 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? We all have different pre and post stories. Like pre-middle school and post-middle school, pre driver's license and post driver's license, pre Taylor Swift Reputation Album and post Taylor Swift Reputation Album. But, the biggest pre/post story of any of our lives is our pre/post Jesus story. When we were pre-Jesus...we were ALL stuck living a sad life, feeling trapped by our mistakes and desires. Post-Jesus we are FREE!!! Although...we're getting to that tomorrow...so buckle in! THINK ABOUT IT: 1. Have you ever ...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:19-23 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we talked about the first half of Paul's prayer to the Ephesians... check it out if you haven't already! At the end of that section, Paul talked about how we can receive hope through Jesus, who is our inheritance (a gift we receive from our heavenly Father, which is God). But THIS section talks all about God’s power, and God has A LOT of it. Paul writes that God has more power t...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:15-18 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? First off, yup that comma after "holy people" is supposed to be there. Verse 19 starts after the comma, which we'll see tomorrow! This whole section is the first half of a prayer, and this half is all about the Ephesian people. Yesterday, Paul's words were about how we've been chosen by Jesus to be His people! So, Paul responds to Jesus' choice in praise. When people give their lives ...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:11-14 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? God has always had a chosen group of people that He has protected and fought for. Since the book of Genesis, God promised to love and care for His chosen people, the Israelites (check out Genesis 12 if you want to learn more). Over the years, even when the people of Israel messed up and turned away from God, He fought for them and loved them anyway. No ma...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:3-7 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Did those sentences make anyone else's eye twitch?  Okay, so, let's do a verse-by-verse translation into normal English: 7  In Jesus, we are saved because His death on the cross gave us forgiveness for our sins. That whole thing is called "redemption," which is God's free gift 8  that He gives us in abundance. God is super wise and knows a bunch, and so with that wisdom, 9  God let us know His plan by sending Jesus, which had been His plan for a long time but was super mysterious because before Je...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:3-6 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? This passage talks a lot about the things God has done for us and how we should respond to them. Paul says our job as believers in Jesus is to give God all of our praise! But why?  Paul lists several reasons, starting with the fact that every blessing we have in this world was given to us by God (James 1:17 says that every good gift comes from God). Paul then says that God chose us and loved us before the earth was even created, despite how broken and imperfect we are. That love is...

R EAD THIS:  Ephesians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,  To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? WELCOME TO EPHESIANS!!!!!! In these verses, Paul introduces himself and who he is writing to really quick.  First off, if you just read 2 Timothy would us, you might notice that this letter is a bit more formal. Paul writes to a church in Ephesus that he wants to encourage in their faith. The first half is theological truths, while the second half is about how to apply them. This letter is also interesting because it is one of the only letters we have from Paul that isn't written to correct a bunch of things they were doing wrong...instead, he was just helping the Ephesians nail down some truth and live it out! (Which for those of you who read through Galatians with us...very different from how corrective Paul was with them). THIN...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:19-22 19 Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? These are the last words we have from Paul before he was ultimately killed in Rome. Paul doesn't finish his letter with an incredible speech or final pieces of advice for Timothy. Instead, Paul reminds Timothy to continue what he did so well: thinking and caring about other people. Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple that served alongside Paul and were committed to ministry too. Onesiphorus was mentioned WAY back in chapter 1 as someone who came alongside Paul during his time in Ephesus. Paul's entire ministry was devoted to Christ, but he understood that living for Jesus meant loving others well an...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:16-18 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we saw the long list of people who left Paul, and yet here, Paul asks that they be forgiven, that it not be held against them. Besides, at the end of the day, the most important person stayed by his side: Jesus! Just like Daniel when he was thrown into the lion's den (Daniel 6), that was scary and he was left on his own, but God stayed with him and made a situation that should have been horrible into an amazing story about God's protection.  Sometimes God's amazing prote...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:9-15 9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Okay, there are like 8 names of people in this passage alone, and it is a little confusing. But, believe it or not, this passage shows us A LOT about ministry! Let's start with the people. In these few verses, we see people who are supporters of Jesus's ministry through Paul, enemies of Paul, and people who wer...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Really quick: A drink offering (aka "libation") was when someone would pour out wine on the ground at a certain spot near the temple, and it would be a way of honoring God. For Paul, he is saying his whole life has been poured out in honor of God.  Okay, now: ~Pop quiz~ What book of the Bible was Paul's last letter ever? ...Yup. This one. 2 Timothy. After this, he was executed. So, read these verses again remembering that.  THINK ABOUT IT: 1. At the end of races, people used to get crowns made of plants. Here, Paul says he will get a crown of righ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:3-5 3 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. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Paul tells Timothy that a time will come when people will no longer want to hear God's Word, but instead they will want to hear whatever will let them live however they'd like to live. We sadly see this happen more often today than not. People leave churches because they don't like this or they don't like that about a sermon or worship, but God makes it clear that there is one correct way to teach and one correct way to worship... so what are they?  When it comes to teaching, we must only rely on teach...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 4:1-2 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Paul makes sure we know that these good works that we're prepared/equipped to do (<--read about yesterday) are works that we're called to do by God, not by anyone else. God is the one who will judge the things we do...not Paul, not Liz, not Daniel, not your mom, not your dad, not the most popular boy at school, etc. Just God. So, knowing that, we are called to:     1. Preach about the Bible! We need to be ready to talk about Jesus/the Bible whether we are currently                being paid to talk about Jesus or whether we are walking down the school hallway between lunch  ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:16-17 16  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? We certainly know scripture is helpful for teaching, correcting, calling us out, training us to be more like Jesus, and equipping us... after all, reading this plan every day has touched on each of those things! But what on earth is "God-breathed?" The word used there in Greek means "divinely breathed in," so what does it mean that God literally breathed into the Word? When God breathes into something, He gives it life! The best example we see of this is WAY back in Genesis 2:7, when God breathes into Adam's nostrils (yes... his nostrils), giving him life. In the same way, we know that "the word of God is alive and active" (Hebrews 4:12a). God's word is capable of doing all of the incredible things tha...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:12-14 12  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,  13  while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? It's not just Paul who will deal with persecution...ANYONE who wants to follow Jesus for REAL will face persecution. It might look different in different places. In America, it's less about people killing Christians, and more about Christians getting made fun of and degraded, and their way of life being snubbed at. In the meantime, people who aren't following Jesus will get more and more caught up in sin and will get hurt by it.  For people trying to ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:10-11 10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Paul knows a lot about persecution, and his journeys to all these cities listed above show it. In Acts 13 and 14, Paul traveled to each of these places and was met with opposition each time. Let's check out what happened at each of these cities: In Antioch, Paul was kicked out of the city because he was telling people about Jesus (Acts 13:50) In Iconium, Paul was nearly given the punishment of "stoning until death" (Acts 14:5) In Lystra, Paul was ACTUALLY stoned by the people there and was left for dead (Acts 14:19) Despite all of that, Paul is grateful for God's provision rather than bitter toward God for going through hard things. Jesus r...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:8-9 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? We're still talking about the people who say they follow God but act in terrible ways. Paul says that those kinds of people end up being a lot like Jannes and Jambres from the story of Exodus when Moses tries to get his people out of Egypt.  Jannes and Jambres...who are they? So in Exodus 7, Moses was showing he came from God through cool miracles, and then these magicians came in and did the same miracles to prove that Moses was NOT from God. They weren't able to keep up with all the things God did through Moses, so they ended up being proven wrong. The magicians aren't named as Jannes and Jambres in Exodus, but that's what a lot of Jewis...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:6-7 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.  WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we talked about how there are kinds of people who follow religion but don't have a true faith, and in this section, Paul talks about how these people act . Here's some of the things Paul mentions: They manipulate other people and trick others for their own gain They are loaded down by sins, which means they aren't asking Jesus to forgive them and let them go They are swayed by evil desires and never satisfied with what they find Maybe you haven't found yourself doing all of these things, but I think we have all found ourselves in at least one of these spots before. Let this passage be a reminder for ALL of us to quit wormin' around and seek the desires of Jesus over yo...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 3:1-5 1  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be l overs of themselves , lovers of money , boastful , proud , abusive , disobedient to their parents , ungrateful , unholy , 3 without love , unforgiving , slanderous, without self-control , brutal , not lovers of the good , 4 treacherous , rash , conceited , lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power . Have nothing to do with such people. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? So, yesterday, we heard about how we should gently teach people the good news of Jesus...but then Paul writes about all this terrible stuff that will happen at the end of all time. Paul's point in doing this is kind of to say that no matter how hard we try to teach about Jesus, there is going to be sin out there and in us, and we are going to be fighting against it a bunch.  The most confusing bad thing that will happen is people "having a form o...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:25-26 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? We've learned from our readings in both Galatians and James that our words matter, and here we see it again in 2 Timothy! In this case, we see that when it comes to sharing the good news about Jesus to those who don't know Him or are even against Him, we must instruct them gently... but how? I think the answer is found in verse 25: we must share the good news with others with the hope that God will transform them and lead them to repentance, not us! However, just because we are trusting that God will do the ultimate work in their hearts, that doesn't mean we don't have a job to do. We are still called to instruct people about Jesus, walking alongside them even w...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:22-24 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? "That's mine!" "No, it's mine!" "It's MY turn!" "I said shotgun FIRST!" How old do you think people saying that would be? Would it be weird to see adults saying those things?Truthfully, though, there are adults who still struggle with pointless bickering and being mean for fun, but usually when we think about those things we think about younger people. When we see older people do it, we think of them as childish. When we see younger people NOT do it, we think of them as mature.  In Jesus, we should all be mature when it comes ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:20-21 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Take like 15 seconds and think about this: if you could have one person over for dinner (alive or dead) that you respect and look up to, who would it be? What would you make for them? Would you dress up nicely for it? Here, Paul talks about how in large houses, there are some things in the house made of gold and silver, and some made of wood and clay. Gold and silver are obviously worth more than clay and wood. If you had a chance to use gold plates or clay plates to host your honorable dinner guest, which would you use? More than likely, you'd give them the gold plates... but why? Because we love to use valuable things for...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:16-19 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Gangrene is NASTY. I made the mistake of googling pictures...if feet already make you queasy, just imagine them puffy, discolored, and oozing "foul-smelling discharge." What's worse is that it spreads FAST, and it's a disease that can kill someone in 48 hours if it goes untreated.  So...gossip and teaching wrong stuff about Jesus is like gangrene. It's a disease that looks bad, smells bad, and leads to dea...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:14-15 14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Timothy was the leader/pastor of the church in Ephesus (the Ephesians), so in this section of our reading, Paul gives Timothy some tips and advice to be a pastor that glorifies God well. Whether we know it or not, we are all leaders in the faith to someone around us, so these tips are helpful for us as well! Here's what Paul says: Remind people about the Gospel: When Paul says "these things," he is talking about the good news of Jesus raising from the dead and setting us free from sin Stop people from arguing about what doesn't matter: Churches back then and even today can struggle with arguing about specific things ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:10-13 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Verses 11-13 might be some weird saying Paul just made up OR it is a quote from an early church song! ***Extra points to anyone who creates a song and dance to those verses*** Paul's whole point here is that all the suffering he's had to go through is worth it because he gets to show people Jesus. No matter how we act, Jesus loves us and went through the hardest things for us. So, we should publicly own  Jesus--claim Him as our own--even when it's hard. If we don't do that, then Jesus can't publicly claim us as His own. But,...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:8-9 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? This passage left me thinking about what we were learning in Galatians! If you read with us, you may remember that before Jesus, Paul wrote that we were slaves, or prisoners, to the law and to sin. But both in Galatians and here in this passage, we are reminded that God's word through Jesus Christ is not chained! But what does it mean to be free from chains? It means that the weight of sin no longer holds us back from eternal life with Jesus. In Paul's case, it is also a reminder that when we suffer for Jesus, even to the point of being put in real chains, the trials we face here on earth mean nothing compared to the incredible life we will have forever in heaven. Take some time to thank Jesus for setting us free, just like God...

  R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:3-7 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Did you do what verse 7 said, yet? If not, take a second to reread verse 7 and try to reflect for a second before you read. (....did you do it? Yes? Maybe? Okay we prepped y'all yesterday for a long one today, so buckle in, we are going to split up the three comparisons Paul makes): Soldier:  We are called to be good soldiers! Good soldiers listen to their commander, no matter what other soldiers say. Even when everyone else complains and is busy...

  R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 2:1-2 1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Tomorrow the devo is gonna be pretty long, so let's keep this one short and sweet! Paul encourages Timothy here to do two big things, and I think we can learn from both: 1. Be strong in Christ's grace: I don't know about you, but I can be very hard on myself. Part of being strong in Christ's grace is remembering that His grace covers every mistake you have ever made. Don't let the enemy trick you into thinking God's grace won't cover you! 2. Equip others: Paul tells Timothy to entrust what he learns to reliable people that can carry on the good news of Jesus, but that can only happen if we trust that they can do it!  THINK ABOUT IT: 1. What helps you stay strong and trust in Jesus when li...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 1:15-18 15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.   16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Let's talk about this Onesiphorus dude (Say it with me: Own-neh-siph-or-us).  Paul in prison was left by his friends. People were ashamed to be connected with a prisoner and especially one who was getting to be kind of well-known, like Paul. But our boy Oney stayed as a good friend. A good friend isn't one who is just there for the good times. They are there for the hard times. Oney went out of his way to stand by Paul, even searched Paul out so he could refresh him. ...

R EAD THIS:  2 Timothy 1:13-14 13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.     WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Oooooh, flashback time!!!! Remember the first book we read, James? Let's check out the reminder he gives us in James 1:22-24... 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  To me, this is Paul reminding Timothy of the same lesson we read about in James! But this time, Paul also shows Timothy how we can remember what God's Word says: we can ask the Holy Spirit to help! Part of the job of the Holy Spirit is to guard and protect the Word in our hearts and minds...