Scheduled Intimacy: Competent and Equipped for Good Works

Scheduled Intimacy: Competent and Equipped for Godd Works

I don’t know about you, but my mind often goes on auto-pilot. By that I mean, that I sometimes am not as careful to say what I should say, and not what comes out of my mouth. I don’t mean what I am “required” to say, but what I want to be able to say. I am often not as quick to filter my thoughts. But, this is an overflow issue to me, and in regards to what the bible says about my heart.

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:24)

This is an intimacy issue. I have still, and I fear may never be perfect at this, but I can get better. The last couple weeks we have been talking about Scheduled Intimacy. The second post is here! I have been learning that so much of what I say and do is directly connected to the amount of time I spend with and before God. I mean, even this week has been a battle in futility. I have had very little time before God privately, and that really messes me up. It messes up my priorities, my emotions, and my effectiveness as a son, a father, a leader, and a teacher. Our passage for this week says:

2 Timothy 3:17 ESV: That the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

I am not very competent sometimes. I lack patience, love, the ability to be silent, did I say patience?!? the bible calls us to be competent, and I take that as being filled with a knowledge of who God calls us to be. Knowing His word, who he is, and who we are in Him is the definition of competent. Which leads us to the next point. Equipped.

Story:

When I came to Korea back in 2007 I thought that I was a fairly patient person. Then I started working full time for a kindergarten. I was pushed and pulled everyday while working with younger and younger children with whom I had no means of communication besides what I had taught them previously, as I was their English teacher. Each day I went in “empty handed” for the battle. I began to lose daily. I was yelling, screaming, just reaching for any way to communicate my unhappiness with what they were doing. I had no idea what to do. I finally gave up, and discontinued teaching the young children at the kindergarten.

Since that time I have given advice to lots of teachers of young children. The thing was, I wasn’t prepared to teach them. I wasn’t ready for what I was going to experience each day. Sure, I had lots of younger siblings, but really had no idea what wrangling a bunch of kindergarteners ultimately took. I had to be trained and taught what was effective, what would keep their attention, and what would be beneficial for them.

Being equipped for every good work, but what is a good work. The Bible says that “they will know us by our fruit.” Our ability to communicate the story of Jesus Christ is not completely reliant, but pushed forward by our ability to know Gods word, and react out to the non-believer, the church goer, the random internet troller with ease and grace. But that’s not something that we naturally have. That’s not something that we just naturally do. We need to be taught how to do that. We need to have the word of God implanted in our hearts. For that, we need to be taught (read the word), and we need to follow the call (the Holy Spirit). Both those things take knowledge and preparation. It’s not just something that will happen over night, and not just something that will come naturally. It will come though, bit by bit. The bible says that it will come to the one who is competent and prepared for it. It’s not a random thing. We should not be random in our willingness to know and serve God.

So, my friends, how are your preparing? Are you in Gods’ word, equipping yourself for the days ahead?

Is there a specific thing that has prepared you more effectively?

Let us know your thoughts below!