Patient Perspectives

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.  2Timothy 4:1-4

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to his cohort, Timothy, who was the leader of the church in Ephesus.  He was a preacher, and we are businessmen, so we may process this passage of Scripture differently.  We are not likely to be preaching the Word, in season and out of season, but it is certainly important for us to be applying it in every aspect of our lives and our businesses.

We are in the time when they will not endure sound doctrine, so we need to be very much aware of it, so we can be discerning.  There is nothing more important than the truth of God’s Word, and we must be focused on it!

We must confront those who have turned aside to myths!  So much of what we hear on the news and social media is not truth, but someone’s supposition, based on their bias, because they accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

Exhorting is encouragement, and that may be easier than rebuking or reproving, which are more confrontational, and could become harsh.  Pointing out one’s error can be demeaning and hurtful.  That’s why Paul encourages great patience, or, literally, all patience.

The one we are rebuking may, indeed, be following the wrong path, and have an incorrect perception about the topic at hand, but we may be just as wrong in our perception of the reason for his indiscretion.  When we operate with our own suppositions when confronting someone else’s suppositions, we can easily be operating in the wrong territory.

Patience in this situation has to do with both parties.  First of all, we must be patient in our confrontation, so that we are reaching out calmly, without anger.  Then, we must be patient in dealing with his response, so we are able to calmly share the truth we are seeking to teach, and to expose the folly we have heard from him.

Many times, people are acting out of frustration from something in their past, that we are unaware of.  Calmly asking them to share the background of their situation may be the key to solving the whole issue.

God’s Word is the only real truth out there, and it needs to be shared in a loving manner.