SCRIPTURE  FROM:   1 Timothy 2:7-10 (MSG)

TEXT:  7 This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.
8-10 Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.

OBSERVATION:   For the one who has yet to find God, accept Him as Lord of all, and acknowledge Him as ruler of their life, that person is ‘lost’. Paul was serious about praying for, witnessing to, and winning the ‘lost’ to Jesus Christ. I believe that God is still very serious about His work for His church today, so He had this admonition included in His precious Word for us to take note of and follow today. So let’s meditate on these words for a while….

APPLICATION:   I believe that there are some principles involved in these verses that require our close attention:

1. Reaching the lost – Paul said that this principle, and only this, was his appointed work. Wouldn’t we be strides ahead of where we are today if Christian men took this as their primary goal today? Why, even if churches made this their primary concern for their existence today?
2. Prayer – It is obvious that Paul saw prayer as the engine behind winning the lost to Christ. In fact, Paul taught us to pray inwardly first, before we ever attempt to pray publicly before the church, for he taught us to have a clear conscience; a calm spirit; a loving, godly consideration for our enemies (those that despitefully abuse us); and a right relationship with God, that would cause us to stand before a holy God humbly and submissive to Him;
3. Individual Responsibility – I belonged to a service club that centered around males serving in our community. In our last vote to decide whether to allow females to serve with us, one gentleman objected – for the reason that he was afraid that the men wound just sit back and allow the women to do all of the work. Paul was very bold in his list of responsibilities for both males and females. Unfortunately, in many churches today, it is extremely challenging to find enough qualified males around to actually fill responsible positions in the church. With all due respect to our female counterparts, God mysteriously works His plan in the family, the church, workplaces and in many other places, when men step up to the plate and take their personal responsibilities seriously. This has nothing to do with pastors, leaders or myself being male chauvinists, but it’s the Word of God, my friend.

Let me just add that there is building evidence that we are individually failing in our responsibilities as men and women of God. We have allowed way too much of this world to enter into, and block the powerful work of our Lord, among His warriors that He has placed to do His work in our churches and communities. In reading through the Old Testament, we see one disaster after another because of individuals and leaders who decided to do things their own way. The Word is clear, that God can and will do that again, unless His people will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways and  pray. May I encourage you, Mr. or Mrs. reader, to begin this examination, and this process with yourself, and not investigate your church leaders for what they may be doing wrong?

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, unless You forgive us of our sin, hear our humble cry for help, and empower us to overcome the evil around us and the sin that is so prevalent in every aspect of our lives, we will be doomed for failure in properly presenting You to a lost and dying world. Please Lord, start a mighty work in me. Clean up my mess and allow me to serve You in much the same way that Paul described. Please also speak to the hearts of those that will read this devotional today. Encourage them to present themselves faultless before Your throne, so that You may work powerfully through them to reach the ‘lost’ who rub shoulders with us every day in our communities, our workplaces and even in our churches. People need the Lord! Oh that we may be Your holy instruments that You may use to win one today! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!