When I was a tyke I was quite the tomboy and since
I would rush ahead without thinking I was taken to the hospital several times
for stitches. This photo shot shows me
at age 4, on the see-saw of our back yard swing set in Culver City, CA while my
older sister Rose was climbing the ladder.
Another time, I climbed that very ladder and then scooted over to the
top of the see-saw and for some unforeseen and forgotten reason I stuck my
finger in the hole at the top just as someone started see-sawing and the tip of
my finger was severed all but a string.
A quick trip to the hospital and several stitches later we headed home. Praise the LORD, I still have my pinkie!
Around the same time, we went to visit some
cousins and there was a shallow fishpond in the neighborhood. It was a hot day so several of us kids took off
our shoes and waded in the water. Well,
leave it to me, I jumped in and landed on a broken glass bottle and was rushed
to the hospital for stitches between two toes.
Well, Mom and Dad went off somewhere for some kind of conference and
left us with Nana (Mom’s mom). My foot
still bandaged from the cut somehow got infected and was changing color. Nana rushed me to the doctor and he feared
gangrene and spoke of amputating (remember this was 65 years ago without the
advanced knowledge of today.) But my
Nana refused and soaked my foot
constantly in Epson salts. At
that time I was mad cause I couldn’t go out and play with the other kids but today I am glad for I still have my foot
and the scars to prove it really happened. LOL
Gangrene is dangerous and spreads rapidly and is
life threatening. The doctors had reason
to fear… but praise the LORD in HIS great mercy HE chose to stop the spread of the
deathly gangrene and bring healing to my foot.
This morning I awoke with a verse in my mind… a
verse that poked me briefly yesterday during a Bible study. This morning that verse cried out, exposing
me, I had done wrong. I got up and looked up the verse and read
verses surrounding that text plus checked my concordance for other references to the issue. In all of this I came upon the words… “ this type of talk spreads like gangrene” 2 Timothy
2:17 (other translations say cancer… and we all know of that dread condition of
uncontrolled growth of malignant cells and what it does.)
That is scary and the text named 2 guys one of
which is also named in I Timothy 1:20 If
you check the context you see these guys through their brainstorming and
speculations and own ideas wandered, were shipwrecked in their faith and
destroyed the faith of some who heard them. Then these guys were turned over
to Satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme. (or speak untruths about divine things)
Although that is so scary, there is a bright hope
in that statement… Job was turned over to Satan and learned awesome things
blessed twice over Job chapters 1,2, 42;
and Peter was turned over to Satan Luke 22:31,32 but when he learned what he
needed to, his faith still intact, he
was greatly used of GOD to open the doors of the church to the Gentiles and was
one of the apostles who laid the foundation for the Church to follow and
thereby strengthened many believing Jews.
2 Timothy 2:16 shun/ turn away from empty
utterances not from GOD (in other words turn away from speaking things we
cannot back up or learn from scripture/ our own ideas) for they will lead to
more ungodliness… (NIV because those who indulge in it will become more and
more ungodly) That is saying when we
start looking to our own explanations we slowing start looking more and more to
ourselves for the answers and less and less to GOD. Thereby, we become more and
more ungodly because it is as we see GOD as HE is and as HE works that we are changed
into HIS likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18, I
John 3:2
I Timothy 1:4.. they promote more speculations rather than GOD’s work in faith. Speculations do not further the work of GOD.
Interestingly the 3 texts were written to a leader
in the church instructing him in what to teach others. (check it out for yourselves in I Timothy chapter 1 and chapter 6 /
2 Timothy chapter 2 ) Now I checked out
several translations and the word of
emphasis that it all spoke of used in the various translations seemed to conveyed
different ideas. So I went to the Greek to see the actual words used. Ekzatew and zatasis both mean to seek out,
question, speculate which might in turn lead to different opinions and to
debates or controversies.
Lets look again; What spread like gangrene? Talk…
talk based not on knowledge of the Word of GOD but on questions, speculations
and personal ideas. The Bible itself
explains itself… any questions the Bible can’t answer by the help of the HOLY
SPIRIT are godless…(not from GOD) but they are our personal speculations and
vain (pride, conceit) or empty (having no value). That type of knowledge of good and evil
(every man is right in his own eyes Proverbs 21:2;16:2;12:15) is what we
inherited from our ancestors who ate the forbidden fruit because they wanted to
be in the know… They didn’t want to have to look to GOD for the answers.
(Proverbs 3:5-7)
Don’t
give heed/ pay attentions to myths I Timothy 1:4 (is a
transliteration of the Greek word muthos.
It was the word used of the fictions of the Jewish theosophists ( who
rejected Judeo-Christian revelations and theology and based doctrine on special
mystical insight or on superior
speculations.) and Gnostics (who adhered to a syncretistic-combining of
varying often mutually opposed beliefs- again settled on speculations and questions.) because they lead to more questions and speculations.
Isaiah 55:8-11 GOD ways and thoughts are way
higher than ours so by speculations
we cannot find HIM out. But HE has
revealed HIMSELF in HIS Word and given us HIS HOLY SPIRIT to translate it for
us John 14:26 1 Corinthians 2.
2 Timothy 2:16-18 Guard what has been entrusted to
you, (your faith) turn away from godless and empty talk and the opposing ideas
of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and have wandered from the faith. 2 Timothy
2:16-18 (remember those guys: it was their speculations
that caused them to wander and
shipwrecked their faith while destroying the faith of some who heard their speculating) Wandering does not speak of intent but rather
of lack of concentration on and the losing sight of their destination/goal 2 Timothy 2:16-18
When I was little I was considered accident prone. Why? because I rushed ahead not considering what I
was doing. I have put away my childish ways (and now
when I do wrong, GOD is faithful to show me what to change. HE corrects me Hebrews 12:4-13) and as for me I want to keep my eyes on HIM
and on the goal- Philippians 3:12-14
…I press on to take hold of that for which CHRIST JESUS took hold of me…this
one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I
press on toward the goal... Romans 8:29
that goal GOD has for me.. that I be transformed, (metamorphosed like a
caterpillar changed into a butterfly) into the likeness (godly character) of
JESUS my LORD. Will
you join me?
Hugs
Sharon
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