The Apostle Paul, as he was held prisoner in Rome and knew he was about to meet the end of his earthly ministry, wrote a loving and very instructional letter to his ‘son in the faith’, Timothy. As he provides direction to the young minister that he is leaving behind to carry on the work of the Cross, he speaks of running a victorious race; being a hardworking farmer who tends his crops; and a dedicated soldier in the midst of warfare – all as examples of what it’s like to live as a minister of Christ’s Gospel.
He finishes these thoughts with these important words:
Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. (2 Timothy 2:7)
Paul is reminding young Timothy that hearing what he is saying is only the beginning. People hear (and forget) things all the time. Paul is saying to “consider”; to think about or meditate on the words that Paul has written.
This goes hand-in-glove with the story Jesus told of the “sower and the soils”. This famous parable speaks of people who hear the gospel, and their various reactions and achievements based on their acceptance and response to what they heard.
Do you remember what Jesus said about those with the ‘good soil’ of an open, honest, and searching heart?
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)
Don’t just hear the word, but make sure you prayerfully study, contemplate, and understand it! This is the same as the seed that receives nutrients from the soil, the water, and the sunlight, to grow and produce a crop that it could not do on it's own.
Jesus provides us with the good Word of His Truth; what we do with it makes all the difference both on this earth, and in the life to come!