2 Timothy 3:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV) ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God^[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Footnotes:

That is, a messenger of God (the phrase echoes a common Old Testament expression)

Not all footnotes are as instructive as this one but we should read them all anyway. They often clarify the difficulties with translations of ancient writings where meaning are often understood from cultural use and experience. Cultures change and meanings might get muddled without some explanation.

This footnote goes one step further and ties this New Testament epistle to Old Testament culture. At the time of Paul’s letter the Old Testament was all the Jewish converts had in a way of bible writings. Those epistles were copied and circulated among the early Christian churches with the same accuracy as the habits of the Jewish scribes. Decades passed before the gospels were to be circulated in the same fashion.

If people were not able to read Greek or Aramaic they were without writing material. The gospel was during those first days enacted in two forms, verbal and actionable. If actions did not match the words, Christianity would have died in its infancy.

It was important that during those early days that men and women who carried the gospel message forward would be seen as messengers of God. The actions of those witnesses had to be godly or the message would have died.

We don’t often speak to the issues of godly behavior enough. Our messages are centered on the commonality of our sin nature and that none of are free from sin. We are however freed from the power of sin and in that we should remind ourselves that our actions must not belie the message.

We are messengers of God.

Psalm 71:1-3 English Standard Version

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

¹ In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame!
² In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me, and save me!
³ Be to me a rock of refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

In a sea of drowning people God pointed His grace at me and said, “Save that one.”

When thinking back upon my salvation story it doesn’t feel like that. The first inkling of salvation I can remember was being grasped by a power I did not understand. It felt like an introduction, as if God was saying, “I am the God that can change you.” How He did it and why He did it escaped me.

Even today, decades after my salvation, I still am in awe of why He chose me. I wasn’t the only person drowning in a sea of sin. Why me, when that moment? I can only be grateful that He did.

Kingdom living can get busy. We find ourselves caring more about others than ourselves. That is as God intended but along with that burden of love there is a danger of getting so busy we allow those early days to slip from our memory.

At a certain age we can begin to see what God has done in us and begin to understand why God chose us from the beginning. He knew what He could do with this lump of clay. We see all lumps of clay alike but not so God. He sees the finished product before He even made the choice.

Don’t get so busy that we forget it was God who chose us and not we who chose Him.