January 31, 2024
Today’s Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The way the reading from 2 Timothy 3 starts sounds like a cross between mayhem and your daily scroll through social media. “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 TImothy 3:2-7) That could be a description of the hallways in your high school, the crowd around the water cooler at your job, or almost any other collection of people today. It can be easy to say that behavior and society is getting worse and worse, but Scripture speaks like the sinful behavior we see today has always been around.
That’s the reality that the Church lives in. That’s the reality that you live in, too. The deception and deceit and evil and opposition of the unbelieving world comes against you. So what do you do in the middle of such problematic surroundings? How do you proceed when the Church is persecuted and when evil people go on from bad to worse? Simply, you believe in Jesus. He came into this unbelieving world as the light that shines in the darkness, even when the darkness did not receive Him. The darkness of this world has not overcome Him. (John 1:5) Even on the cross, as Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth in the darkness, the Light of the World was not extinguished. Yes, He died, and He rose again on the third day revealing that evil does not win the day. Only Jesus wins the day, and He brings that victory to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son And bring to naught all He has done. (LSB 655:1)
-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.
