“…bound with chains as
a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2:9b)
I wonder how many times I have let
the circumstances that bind me, bind the word of God at the same time? We can
be bound in all sorts of ways. Paul was physically bound, in chains and in
prison. This is a binding that came from the external. What are some of the
externals that bind us in this life?
For some this binding is money. Money
keeps them down, not only that, it keeps God from being God. We can so easily
feel walled and limited by our own resources that we put those same walls up
around the word of God. Maybe God is calling you out, but financially you are
bound, you see no way for provision. So what happens? We limit, or bind, God
from being God. We say now is not a good time, maybe when finances are better,
then God can use me. No! “The word of God
is not bound.”
For others this binding is in
relationships. For those who are single, we can get stuck in our singleness.
For those who are married, we can get stuck in our marriage. The single man or
women says, if only I were married, then I could move on. The married man or women
says, if only I were single, then I could move on. This keeps us from growing.
I have seen the binding effect that singleness has on the word of God. Instead
of holding onto God’s promises, we slowly let go of them. Leaving us wondering,
does He really know what’s best for us? Thoughts of not waiting till marriage can cross our mind, thoughts
of not waiting through marriage can
as well. Does He really know what’s best for us? Of course He does, but let’s
be honest, singleness and marriage can be binding to our view of God's promises.
For some, their binding is not
external rather it is internal. This is the man who is imprisoned, or bound by
self. This type of binding almost always binds the word of God. The man who
looks at himself as worthless, becomes bound by doubt. This keeps him or her
from fully believing the word of God. On one hand we read that God says we are
valued in His eyes, yet that truth fails to break through our doubts,
thus binding the word of God. The man who looks at himself as worth more than
he really is, becomes bound by deception. A false sense of self-worth keeps us
from seeing our need for the full counsel of God’s word, thus binding the word
of God.
So what category do I personally fall
into? Outside of the married man, on any given day I am prone to fall into
anyone of these categories. The chains Paul found himself bound in could not be
avoided, we have no control over lives circumstances. But what we do have
control over is not letting them control us, rather letting the word of God
control us. Easier said than done, but let’s remember, the word of God breaks
every chain, for “the word of God is not
bound.”
