God Speaks
From: Paul, Jesus Christ’s missionary, sent out by God to tell men and women everywhere about the eternal life he has promised them through faith in Jesus Christ.
2 To: Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord shower you with his kindness, mercy, and peace.
3 How I thank God for you, Timothy. I pray for you every day, and many times during the long nights I beg my God to bless you richly. He is my fathers’ God and mine, and my only purpose in life is to please him.
4 How I long to see you again. How happy I would be, for I remember your tears as we left each other.
5 I know how much you trust the Lord, just as your mother Eunice and your grandmother Lois do; and I feel sure you are still trusting him as much as ever.
6 This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you. 7 For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.
8 If you will stir up this inner power, you will never be afraid to tell others about our Lord or to let them know that I am your friend even though I am here in jail for Christ’s sake. You will be ready to suffer with me for the Lord, for he will give you strength in suffering.
9 It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love and kindness to us through Christ. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting him. 11 And God has chosen me to be his missionary, to preach to the Gentiles and teach them.
12 That is why I am suffering here in jail, and I am certainly not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to safely guard all that I have given him until the day of his return.
13 Hold tightly to the pattern of truth I taught you, especially concerning the faith and love Christ Jesus offers you. 14 Guard well the splendid, God-given ability you received as a gift from the Holy Spirit who lives within you.
15 As you know, all the Christians who came here from Asia have deserted me; even Phygellus and Hermogenes are gone. 16 May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me like a breath of fresh air, and he was never ashamed of my being in jail. 17 In fact, when he came to Rome, he searched everywhere trying to find me, and finally did. 18 May the Lord give him a special blessing at the day of Christ’s return. And you know better than I can tell you how much he helped me at Ephesus.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: This is thought to be the last letter Paul wrote. It was written by a spiritual parent (Paul) to his son in the faith (Timothy). It is a kind of “passing of the torch.” Together they had told men and women everywhere how they could have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus secured for us the mercy, grace, and peace of God. Christians are to serve God with clear consciences, praying day and night for others. We are to pass on faith in Christ to the next generations. Believers are to be filled with joy (even to the point of tears) whenever we can be together. We are not to be ashamed of those who are suffering for the sake of the Gospel. And what is this good news? Verses 9 and 10 are a summary of it. Reread them in the passage above. For teaching these truths, Paul was suffering hardship, imprisonment, and abandonment. Paul felt that the rewards far outweighed the sufferings and invited Timothy to join him in suffering for the sake of the gospel; however, he warned Timothy to avoid those who abandoned him, but to support and encourage those like Onesiphorus who visited and encouraged Paul. We also should be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom or at least support those who are, wherever they are, however we can.
Prayer: Dear Father who watches over His children, thank You for intergenerational relationships that further Your Kingdom. Like Paul and Timothy, please help believers today (not just church leaders) to tell people everywhere how to receive eternal life by faith in all that Jesus has done for them. May all those You have chosen and called truly experience the mercy, grace, and peace You have provided through the actions of Jesus Christ our Lord. May we serve You with clear consciences, conversing with You day and night about Your plans for ourselves and others. May I (and other adult Christians) be passing on to upcoming generations what it means to fully trust in Jesus. May I be filled with joy (even to the point of tears) whenever I can be together with other believers, especially with my children in the faith. Whenever I face trials and difficulties in life, don’t let me cringe in fear, but, Holy Spirit, please fill me with courage, wisdom, love, and strength of character. Thank You for saving me and choosing me for Your holy work, not because I deserved it but because that was Your plan from before creation–to show Your love to us through Christ. You made it plain to mankind by Jesus Christ coming as a human being to be our Rescuer. He broke the power of sin and death and showed us that the way of everlasting life was through trusting Him alone. I declare that He is the one I trust, and He is able to safely guard all that I give Him until the day He returns, Please help me to be faithful to both guard and disseminate this message. Help me to suffer well if necessary and to support others who are suffering for the sake of the gospel. All for Your glory. AMEN
Action: (Ask the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will tell someone how they can receive eternal life by faith in what Jesus Christ has done for them.
- I will seek to serve God with a clear conscience, praying day and night for myself and others to be doing God’s will.
- I will be alert for ways to pass on faith in Christ to my (physical or spiritual) children and grandchildren.
- I will memorize 2 Timothy 1:9-10, a summary of the gospel, in the version or translation I find easiest to remember.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.