One of my first memories of going to the city was seeing all the different people walking along the street.  Everyone looked so different to the inhabitants of our 1450 strong country town!

2 Timothy 3:1-17

Reference:  v.2 (In the last days) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy... (NIV Bible)

Explore:  I grew up in country Victoria and rarely ventured to our capital city, which was three hours drive away.  I recall my sister going on a primary school excursion to the city once and when she returned she brought me back some cookies and a toy from McDonalds.  I thought all my Christmas' had come at once because I had never been to the restaurant of the golden arches before! One of my first memories of going to the city was seeing all the different people walking along the street.  Everyone looked so different to the inhabitants of our 1450 strong country town!  But one particular gentleman stood out.  He was standing on one corner and he had a sandwich board on his shoulders that read, "The end of the world is near."  I couldn't keep my eyes off him.  So many thoughts filled my mind, "Why would he embarrass himself like that?  Is he crazy?  Does he know something that we don't?  I wonder if anyone would go and talk to him."  I brought this up with my parents and they explained that some people, through interpreting the Bible in a particular way, predicted when the world was going to end.  The city brought so many new things to light for me!

Application:  And yet when I read a passage like 2 Timothy 3 it is no surprise that people paint up a sandwich board and try to convert the masses.  As I read through the verses I can pretty much tick off every criteria of the last days occurring in 2009.  From Paul's reference to 'have nothing to do with them', it makes me think that Paul was listing things that he was currently seeing, not necessarily things that he was prophesying would happen.  We live in a world that is filled with sin.  God calls us to be in the world but not of it.  Paul gives us a tip as to how to live a godly life: follow Scripture.  It "is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."  It's nice to be diligent in reading a passage each day but we need to apply it to our lives so that we live according to God's way.

Prayer:  Lord, there are some 'last day characteristics' that I see in my own life.  Help me to live today as You would have me live.  Amen.

Which of these characteristics in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 do you see as most prevalent in our world today?  What can we do to help people live more according to God's plan?