What is Your Overflow?

A Reflection on 2 Timothy 3

Photo by Hubert Buratynski on Unsplash

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." — 2 Timothy 3:1 ESV

I have yet to encounter a day without difficulty. What about you? Sometimes, the hard times result from my own shortcomings and mistakes, but often, they are simply just a result of life on earth.

So often, people pad their lives with comforts and pleasures in an attempt to avoid difficulties in life—but the truth is that they are unavoidable.

Paul tells Timothy that “there will come times of difficulty.” We are promised times of difficulty. This Christian life isn’t a life of earthly ease but steadfast perseverance toward the goal of eternity. On this journey, we can either allow our trials to produce fruit for the Kingdom or pull us away from what we know as Truth.

How we handle difficulties reveals what we are living for. And the overflow of our hearts becomes the evidence. What flows from your heart during the good and the bad seasons reflects your greatest desire(s).

How can we remain true to our faith in a world that often celebrates self-indulgence, pride, and materialism? These are the crucial considerations that Paul addresses in this second letter to Timothy.

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul prepares Timothy for the challenging times ahead. In doing this, he describes two groups of people, each dedicated to pursuits on the opposite and far ends of the spectrum from one another.

One group makes life disruptive and difficult, having directed their love and devotion towards the wrong things.

Paul provides a detailed list of their characteristics in verses 2-5.

1. Lovers of self

2. Lovers of money

3. Proud

4. Arrogant

5. Abusive

6. Disobedient to their parents

7. Ungrateful

8. Unholy

9. Heartless

10. Unappeasable

11. Slanderous

12. Without self-control

13. Brutal

14. Not loving good

15. Treacherous

16. Reckless

17. Swollen with conceit

18. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

19. Having the appearance of godliness but denying its power

Paul warns Timothy to avoid such people. He knew the damage their selfishness and sinful nature would infiltrate others if given the opportunity. These toxic behaviors don't typically burst through the door but creep in slowly, destroying good one moment at a time.

But there’s another way. Paul reminds Timothy of the right path—the example he had set. Timothy had followed Paul’s teaching, conduct, aim in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, and even his persecutions and sufferings. Despite all the trials, Paul notes, "the Lord had rescued him" from every one of them.

Paul ends this chapter with a passage filled with key doctrinal truth that provides a foundation on which all Christians should base their lives. The Bible is from God and is our source of direction and truth. It is 100% true and transforms us as we live by it.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

— 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

The teachings of the Bible often feel opposite to the world's values because they are. Nowhere does it promise a life of ease or comfort. Instead, it calls us to live devoted to pursuing God and His Kingdom. The pursuit is not what saves us; it is a result of our Salvation in Christ.

On this path of pursuit, we live, speak, and act differently from those who live to please themselves for earthly gain. As a result, there are times that we might be looked down upon or, in some places, even persecuted.

I believe that we should often take moments to reflect on our own lives. Are we following examples of Truth, or are we slowly conforming to the world's values? Are there areas of our lives that oppose the Truths of the Bible? And if so, where have we adopted these, and how can we get back on the Right Path?

Can we avoid people like those Paul describes, and should we? As Christians, we are called to be a light to the dark. This doesn't mean avoiding non-believers who are dwelling on the behaviors listed above. Instead, we need to be mindful of how closely we live with them.

Conforming to the world is a slippery slope. Just as Paul said, "they creep into households"; they don't bust open the door. Sometimes, we might unknowingly accept truths that oppose Scripture. We are called to be in the world but not of the world, living our lives in light of the Gospel and sharing that light with others.

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

— John 15:19

Take some time to examine your overflow. Is it a reflection of the world or of the Kingdom? One is eternal, and one is temporary. Living for the temporary disappoints now and for eternity. Living for God and His eternal Kingdom promises hope in the midst of our hurts, disappointments, and current circumstances.

Joyfully HIS

Jennifer N. Pearson