Be Prepared In Season And Out Of Season

March 17, 2017

Be Prepared In Season And Out Of Season

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

2 Timothy 4:2

(In honor of Saint Patrick, I am taking a break from the Psalms today.)

We had an early spring in WNC; the perennials were blooming in February, a month ahead of spring on the calendar. Our winter pattern was a few cold days followed by a week of warmer than normal temps. I’ve felt betwixt and between for weeks. It’s not just the weather; after almost five years of retirement, I’m in the process of redefining myself and seeking new goals and priorities.  My natural tendency in seasons of life like the last few months is to pull back and seek isolation. I need to hear Paul’s urgent words to Timothy. The commission to the followers of Jesus is to be prepared to be used by Christ as a vessel of grace regardless of the circumstances of our life, and in some cases especially because of the circumstances of our life.

In the times when I am drawn toward isolation, I remember one of my greatest heroes of the faith, Saint Patrick. Patrick was born into a Christian family, where his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest. About 400 AD, as a teenager, Patrick was kidnapped by marauders and sold into slavery in Ireland. For six years he tended his master’s flocks on the slopes of Slemish Mountain. In remembering his time as a slave in his memoir entitled The Confession, Patrick said he prayed at least one hundred times per day and almost as many times at night. Eventually Patrick was able to escape and return to his home in Great Britain where he studied for the pastoral ministry. Patrick believed God was calling him to return to Ireland, and he convinced the church to commission his return to Ireland as a missionary. One historian described Patrick’s mission field as, "It was an Ireland of tribalism, an Ireland of war, an Ireland of suspicion, an Ireland of violence and death. Here he came as a virtual stranger to this country of warring factions." Even so, Patrick's ministry lasted 29 years. He baptized over 120,000 Irishmen and planted 300 churches.

It was the person of Christ who comforted Patrick while he was a slave; it was the person of Christ who prepared Patrick to return to Ireland as a vessel of grace; and it was the person of Christ who inspired Patrick to pray,

"Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."

This same person of Christ will prepare us as well, in season and out of season, to be his vessels of grace.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.