Daily devotion – Removalists and mini skips!
2 Timothy 2:1–7
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
These final recorded words of the Apostle Paul, written shortly before his death, are addressed to his young pastoral student and disciple Timothy. They are remarkable in both their simplicity and their depth.
Have you ever moved house? Or gone through your child’s toy room and gathered up toys that are no longer used—or even touched? Helen and I have moved house many times, and I can honestly say it’s something I find little joy in.
Each time we move, there are things we know we must carry with us—items that are essential for the next dwelling. But there is also always a great deal of stuff that needs to be thrown out. These days, most people don’t just hire a removalist; they also order a mini skip to deal with unwanted clutter.
As I’ve grown older, and as I’ve continued to serve the Lord, God’s Word has increasingly caused me to focus on what is essential—and to honestly acknowledge the things, relationships, goals, and pursuits that have become more of a weight rather than a wing.
Paul tells Timothy to look to three examples—a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer—and to learn from them how to live with focus and purpose. Each one teaches the same lesson: do not waste time and energy on things that distract from what truly matters—our walk with God. Some things are not sinful, yet they are not a blessing; instead, they become parasitical, slowly draining our devotion and intimacy with Christ.
The writer of Hebrews addresses this same issue:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
So many believers sit in church each week carrying clutter—and then walk out carrying the same clutter with them. Often, we give this clutter a respectable name: busyness.
Relationships that we keep and cherish, and which we give our time to, should be those that exhort us in serving the Lord and encourage us to mature in our walk with Christ—not drain us of spiritual life.
For some of us, it’s time to order the mini skip. It’s time to decisively remove those things that drain us rather than draw us closer to worshipping and pleasing our Lord.