Title: Living In God's Approval
Author: David Cook
Text: 2 Timothy 2:14-26
Introduction
Who gives you your sense of approval? What makes you feel you are doing well on the inside? Often, people look for approval from the wrong people and places. As a young boy, I found my sense of approval in the game of baseball. Making a big hit or pitching a great game made me feel I mattered. Our coach, on the other, did not extend his approval easily. Although we tried hard and practiced hard, we lost twelve consecutive games.
After a particularly disappointing loss, our coach walked away from the team. He said he was wasting his time on us and that we never would become players worth anything. We felt rejected and disapproved of.
It wasn't long after that a new man became our coach. He spoke to us like we were important and told us we had the potential to win. He invested time in us and taught us baseball basics. Before long, our team had a sense of belief that we could compete and win.
I will never forget the night we beat one of the toughest teams in Little League by the score of 18-14. Our new coach approved of us, not because we won every game, but because he focused on who we could be with patience and proper investment. Ultimately, we all want to know someone higher than our coach, parents, or friends approve of us. After all, what matters most is not how others see us but how God sees us.
Living in the approval of God was something the Apostle Paul knew as a reality. Paul wanted his son in the faith, Timothy, to live in the approval of God, too (Galatians 1:10). In our text, he admonishes Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God..."(2 Timothy 2:15). Living in God's approval in our lives and ministry is what matters most.
In verses 14-19 of 2 Timothy 2, Paul shares pastoral input on the character of what an approved by God servant of the Lord looks like. In verses 22-26, Paul teaches us about the compassion of the approved ...
Author: David Cook
Text: 2 Timothy 2:14-26
Introduction
Who gives you your sense of approval? What makes you feel you are doing well on the inside? Often, people look for approval from the wrong people and places. As a young boy, I found my sense of approval in the game of baseball. Making a big hit or pitching a great game made me feel I mattered. Our coach, on the other, did not extend his approval easily. Although we tried hard and practiced hard, we lost twelve consecutive games.
After a particularly disappointing loss, our coach walked away from the team. He said he was wasting his time on us and that we never would become players worth anything. We felt rejected and disapproved of.
It wasn't long after that a new man became our coach. He spoke to us like we were important and told us we had the potential to win. He invested time in us and taught us baseball basics. Before long, our team had a sense of belief that we could compete and win.
I will never forget the night we beat one of the toughest teams in Little League by the score of 18-14. Our new coach approved of us, not because we won every game, but because he focused on who we could be with patience and proper investment. Ultimately, we all want to know someone higher than our coach, parents, or friends approve of us. After all, what matters most is not how others see us but how God sees us.
Living in the approval of God was something the Apostle Paul knew as a reality. Paul wanted his son in the faith, Timothy, to live in the approval of God, too (Galatians 1:10). In our text, he admonishes Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God..."(2 Timothy 2:15). Living in God's approval in our lives and ministry is what matters most.
In verses 14-19 of 2 Timothy 2, Paul shares pastoral input on the character of what an approved by God servant of the Lord looks like. In verses 22-26, Paul teaches us about the compassion of the approved ...
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