Be still: 'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.' Lord, today I ask you to speak to me through your Word. Amen
Read: 2 Timothy 2:14-26
Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. (v16)
Encounter: Anyone who is on social media is surrounded by ‘godless chatter.’ So much of what we read and engage with online can be complete drivel. We get caught up in conspiracies, gossip, lies, ‘click-bait’ or unhelpful teaching. We are often quick to dismiss it as harmless, but the reality is it leads us down an unhelpful track making us more and more ungodly. Paul is so strong on this, this godless chatter spreads like gangrene.
In an age of ‘fake news’, misinformation, we need to fill our minds and hearts with truth. I love how Paul puts it in Philippians 4:8:
'… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.'
All this truth, beauty and goodness is wonderfully found in God’s Word.
Apply: I can be quick first thing in the morning to pick up my phone and scroll through the news or Instagram. I’m becoming increasingly aware of how bad this is for my soul. I’m trying to start my day by inviting God to lead and guide me, followed by spending time reading the Bible (doing B.R.E.A.D). This daily journey is silencing the 'godless chatter' and replacing it with God’s way and God’s truth. As Sir Thomas More, the Catholic martyr and saint, once said, ‘Occupy your minds with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones: unoccupied they cannot be.’
Devote: Lord Jesus, forgive me for where I can be so quick to engage with gossip and godless chatter. Help me to a person of your Word. Help me to speak life and wholeness into every conversation I have today.