Jump Start # 850

1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”

We’ve been looking at Paul’s words to Timothy these past few days. There are three expressions layered in this passage: (1) your progress will be evident to all; (2) be absorbed in them; and, (3) take pains with these things. We went backwards in this study, looking at the last expression first.

Today we come to, “Take pains with these things.” The NIV states this as, “be diligent in these matters.” The King James says, “Meditate upon these things.” The English Standard Version translates this as, “practice these things,” The words, “diligent,” “take pains,” “practice,” all involve effort. The original word means, “to attend to, or, to take care of.” Put some effort into these things. Look after these things.

I like the expression take pains with these things. Work until the sweat comes on the brow. Work until the blisters come on the hands. Work hard. Get at it. Bust it. Paul is not talking about yard work, moving a neighbor, building a fence. He is talking about knowing the word of God. Take pains about those things. Work hard at it.

Most don’t like pain. If it hurts, they quit. We have shelves full of pain-relief medicines. We want to relieve the pain. We want the pain to go away. We want to stop all pain. Not Paul. Bring it on. Take pains in these things. Don’t quit because it’s hard.

How does this all fit in with knowing God’s word? Study involves sitting in a chair, Bibles opened, a pad of paper and a pen nearby. Words are looked up. Thoughts are written on the pad of paper. You notice the order of words. You notice repeated words. You notice the thought and the idea. You notice questions. You notice how the questions are answered. Insight. Observation. You find yourself there, in the reading. You see why the Jews kept testing Jesus. You see why the apostles struggled in their young faith. You learn. You grasp. God’s will becomes your will. You know what God wants.

Learning is a process. There is no convenient store for knowledge, although I fear that we have tried to develop one. Too many ask someone else their questions without spending some time thinking about those questions. They want a quick answer. They don’t know, so they ask. That sounds ok, at first. However, we get in the habit of that, and we are rely upon someone else’s knowledge and study. If what they did was flawed or incomplete, then their answer will reflect that and we won’t know because we haven’t taken pains with these things. A young preacher once asked me if I knew what a certain passage meant. I told him, “I do.” He said will you tell me? I said, “No. Go figure it out for yourself.” I was trying to teach the young man to “take pain with these things.” Do your homework. Get some good reference books to help you. Chew on it for a while. Consider the opposite. Consider all that God has said. Don’t try to force the square peg into a round hole. God’s word fits easily. It is consistent. It doesn’t contradict itself.

We remember that the Psalmist meditated day and night upon God’s word. He was thinking about it and trying to understand it. He let God’s word simmer in his brain for a while. Take pains…be diligent…work at it. Find the application. Apply it to yourself. Become the person that God wants you to.

There is an effort involved with these things. It’s not for the lazy. It’s not for those who are always looking for the quick and easy. It’s not for those who lack patience. Learning takes effort and time. Stay with it and stay at it. Worthwhile things are like this.

Do you have access to good Bible tools? You need those to get the depth of God’s word. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Several different translations are helpful. Get a King James Version, English Standard, New American Standard. Open them all up. Look at passages in each of the translations. Many computer programs and websites, such as www.Biblegateway.com, will help with that.

2. A good Bible dictionary, such as Vine’s Expository Dictionary, will help you understand words.

3. A Bible atlas will help you understand places

4. A concordance will help you find similar passages.

5. A reliable commentary will bring further research and thoughts into your study.

6. Look at  Bible passages through the lens of the people who first received the message.

Every home ought to have these tools. If I wanted a garden, I’d buy a shovel, a hoe and the tools needed to make a garden. If I just threw some carrot seeds in my backyard, on top of my lawn, they aren’t going to make it. I have to work up a place, get the soil ready, put some effort into a garden. I’d need some tools to do that. I’d need some sweat time. Otherwise, what I do is a waste of time.

Is it any different with the word of God? When folks show up at the church building without a Bible, pad of paper or pen, what are they expecting? Is it any different when a person rarely opens the Bible at home? It it any different when someone has no tools to study? Is it any different when someone declares, “It’s too hard to understand,” and they don’t try to find what God says?

“No pain…no gain,” was a common expression years ago in fitness and exercise. The same could be said when it comes to God’s word.

Take pains…work at it. Know the will of God, is what the Ephesians were told.

Roger