Can God’s Word Be Contained? – July 10, 2024

Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
2 Timothy 2:8,9

Can God’s Word Be Contained?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let’s play, “Can you contain it?”
• If you don’t want to hear your dog bark, does closing the dog in its kennel contain the bark?
• If you don’t want your family to know you baked cookies, does covering the cookies with a towel contain the smell?
• If you don’t want to get wet from your sprinkler, will putting a laundry basket over the sprinkler contain the water?

No! Everyone knows that containing the dog doesn’t contain the sound of its barking. A towel hides the cookies, but not the smell. And anyone near that laundry basket is going to get wet.

Now, let’s try a serious one: Can the devil stop the message of the gospel by putting those who preach the Word of God in jail?

The devil is God’s enemy and ours. He doesn’t want the great news of salvation to be preached. He knows that God’s Word has the power to create faith. He knows that everyone who hears the good news of Jesus and trusts in Jesus’ death for us will go to heaven. So, he tries to contain the message of the Bible.

In our Bible reading, the devil used people to put a pastor in jail. That pastor was the apostle Paul. They thought they could contain God’s message. How wrong they were! God the Holy Spirit used Paul’s description of this event to add to the inspired Word of God. Paul triumphantly writes, “I am…chained like a criminal but God’s Word is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9).

Praise God that a pastor in prison 2,000 years ago wasn’t the end of God’s saving message! God’s Word was not chained and came all the way to us. It worked faith in our hearts and saved us from our enemy, the devil. Now, we belong to Jesus, and heaven is our home.

But is the devil still trying to contain God’s Word today? He sure is! For him, it’s not a game. It’s his mission. He wants to contain the power of God’s Word. He tries to quiet Christians’ voices by making them embarrassed to talk about Jesus. He does everything he can to make fun of God’s teachings. And yet, like the sprinkler water rushing through the laundry basket, God’s Word can’t be contained! It still gushes into our hearts and lives. It always has the power to save!

Closing Prayer:

Holy Spirit, thank you for using the powerful Word of God to work faith in our hearts. We trust in your promise that the Word will always have the power to turn hearts to Jesus. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Who teaches you about Jesus?
• Why does that person want you to know Jesus?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What important fact did you learn from today’s devotion?
• If God’s Word WAS contained, imagine a couple of ways your life would be different.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• In a country where God’s Word might seem more and more contained, how is the truth “God’s Word is not chained” comforting to you?
• What should you do if someone in authority tries to silence your witness of God’s Word? (See Acts 5:29 for help. *Know that an army of fellow believers prays for you if you ever find yourself in that position.)