2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

I asked an elder that I deeply respected what in meant to be instant in season and out of season. His answer made sense at the moment, then. “Whether you feel like it or not.”

Now, years later, with many sermons, teachings, studies and experiences, I am not sure if I know how to make that real for myself. It is one thing to learn a things, to understand it, to believe it, and another to make it real, to do that thing.

The rest of the verse after the ; takes a fair amount of training and expertise in the Word. It does not come naturally to the babe in Christ, nor should it. The expectation of understanding a thing brings some level of confidence that you are ready. But is this what Paul was saying to Timothy? Maybe it was, but were are not Timothy or at that moment of preparedness.

But what if, in a more modern vernacular, Paul had said, “be all that you are wherever you are”? Would that make more sense? Would it say, God has prepared you, do not allow your feelings or present conditions stop you from being that man.

It does take out the doubt. It lays off the responsibility to act in a manner which you are not prepared for at that moment.

1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

This verse appeared on a screen at church as the pastor referenced it in his sermon. As I do many times, I grabbed a pen and paper and hastily jotted down “face off” and “hockey”. So many times I get inspired by material discovered during his sermons. I could just see the eyes of the Lord starring down at the ice, waiting for the referee to throw down the puck in a face off.

The battle of good and evil, who controls the puck. But what is the puck? I need some point of reference, I need supporting scriptures, I need somewhere to go with this vision. I spent the night going over and over in my mind how I could tie this all together into a cohesive devotional.

All I got was a bad night’s sleep.

The Word is God’s real answer to man’s real problems. It is not the answer to vain imagination or flights of fantasy. So what is the point, beyond wasting my time?

How many times have we had an opinion, a belief, a theology, where we search the bible to prove our point? Men with an agenda do it all the time. The ability to abuse the bible to serve man’s own ego, or selfish interests is real. Satan himself abused the bible in tempting Jesus. Luckily for us, Jesus knew the bible better than Satan did and rebuked Satan with the true use of scripture.

Our best defense of abuse of use of the bible is to know the truth. “Rightly discerning” does not come to those who have not exercised their sense to come to know good and evil. We are not meant to be pew potatoes.

Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

The Word is not a mental exercise, it is meant to be worked out in our lives.