Enjoy Life, Enjoy God

THE NEGATIVE

January 18, 2011

Yesterday, the positive. Today, the negative. As I said, discipleship summons in us the positive; yet, it also summons an aspect of avoidance or "not doing" of the negative.

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.
                                                   - 2 Timothy 4:3,4 TNIV

As Paul asserts "positive behaviors" for Timothy and others, he illustrates "negative behaviors" to be avoided at all costs:
--Proper teaching, doctrine exchanged for "eye/ear candy"
--The issue is not how the teaching measures against God's Word, but what I desire.
--Itching ears: again it's not so much God's Word that we pursue but something that makes our "ears" feel good.

So Paul speaks to Timothy and to you and me.

Joyfully,

Dale Patterson