DAILY READING
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REFLECTION
Resisting Junk Food
by Jennifer Jerrome
What a time to be alive! We have everything at our fingertips, and we’ve figured out how to have a global presence while sticking close to home.
Back in Paul’s and Timothy’s day, the only way to get things done was to travel from place to place. Their work required them to go out and proclaim the Good News of Christ. They trekked for miles, sat across from people from all walks of life, and shared with them the truth of His message.
Paul, in training the next generation of evangelists, encouraged Timothy and others to be prepared for, as the Message translation says, “times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching but will fill up on spiritual junk food – catchy opinions that tickle their fancy.”
I think Paul could easily have been writing about today. "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (v. 3-4). Sound familiar?
There is nothing wrong with questioning. It doesn’t mean a lack of faith or being in danger of losing faith. It means digging deeper and inquiring about things that strengthen your relationship with Christ, bringing you closer to Him. The problem lies in finding, and more importantly, digesting answers that are not the truth.
People across all ages have asked questions. The danger of the twenty-first century, like the first century, is not so much about questioning as it is about seeking answers that line up with what one wants to hear. It’s just faster and more convenient now to be fed untruths.
But Paul would encourage us as he did Timothy to "keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry" (v. 5), which the Message translates as, “keep your eye on what you’re doing, accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.”
God’s message has been and always will be simple – love. Love God and love each other. Some, often with the best intentions, make it more complicated, which can lead people to seek answers that "taste" good but really don't satisfy. Come to the table and God will provide the nourishment we so desperately seek.
Father, I turn to you when I have questions. I want to hear your answers. Guide me on the path to your truth that I may in turn share your message of love with others. Amen
Lots to think about with "digesting" Truth vs competing messages in our world. Thanks for sharing!