My Walk With Him: And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 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.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 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.

Chapter 36: Pages 507-523, 2 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 2

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 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. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 7 "Providence Over Conversion" - moving to chapter thirty-six "Saving Faith as the Gift of Providence".

Piper starts by reinforcing the critical point that God is ultimately decisive in our conversion and he points to Ephesians 2:4-10 and 1 Corinthians 1:27:31 as scriptural evidence. He moves to God's providence in repentance by primarily pointing to Paul's letters to Timothy. He connects 2 Timothy 2:24-26 to 1 Timothy 2:4 by stating that God desires all to be saved yet NOT all ARE saved; Piper wants us to clearly see the loose connection between God's desires and actions: "[N]ot all of [God's] desires govern God's actions. He is governed by the depth of his wisdom through a plan no ordinary human deliberation would ever conceive." Piper does want us to understand that while God alone may grant repentance for some but not others, there is a role for pastors and teachers to help "lead" people to a "knowledge of the truth."

Piper wraps up the chapter by stating that "[God] opens our blind eyes and grants us to see the compelling truth and beauty and worth of Jesus in such a way that we find him irresistible, and so gladly and willingly embrace him as our Savior and Lord and treasure."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who reigns for all eternity in all things...and You granted me repentance and faith and You have done so in the lives of those close to me - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving...nor is anyone. My sin continues. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.