Itchy

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Mosquito bites! Am I the only one that hates them? They are no fun and difficult to get rid of. I’ve tried a lot of things to rid myself of the itchy bites, and I’ve found that time and patience [and a lot of lotions] are about the only answers to make the itch go away. 

The apostle Paul trained Timothy to deal with a situation much worse than mosquito bites. He told Timothy about false teachings that infect the heart — things that go far beyond irritation — things that hurt saving faith.  

He went on to tell him about a time when people would no longer have a desire to hear about the Lord, especially what God had to say about sin—a time much like today. And because the people wanted to indulge in their sin without being made to feel guilty about it, they would surround themselves with like-minded teachers who would affirm their sinful lifestyles.

Those were prophetic words about the time we live in, and it’s rather interesting how he described the people of that day: people with “itchy ears!” They have come up with a remedy of sorts. They don’t want to be accountable to God, so they try to calm the itch by reducing God to nothing more than merely a lucky rabbit’s foot or a curse word, but it isn’t effective at all.  

Fortunately, there is a cure for the itch. Paul gave the prescription to Timothy; “Preach the Word!” Proclaim the entire Bible. Let God work through His Word to set the record straight. Earlier [3:16], Paul told Timothy that God’s Word was profitable for such things as reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness - all of which will heal the itchy sickness of our sin. 

We’re starting into a brand new week. Let’s be faithful servants; faithful to the Word and faithful to proclaim it “in season and out of season.”

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men 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. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5