While in jail, awaiting his execution, Paul wrote these words to Timothy. Notice how sincerely genuine this letter is, and as you read this, remember, Paul is getting ready to die for the faith He is encouraging Timothy to continue to remain steadfast in. Paul was like a father to Timothy; he sharpened him and trained him up in the faith. Paul taught Timothy everything he knew, he loved him, and cared for him very much. I can just imagine Paul in such a somber spirit sitting in this prison sect writing to Timothy in full awareness that these words would be his last.
"This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus. I am writing to Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me—even Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus. Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. This is a trustworthy saying:
If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith. But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.” In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants." - 2 Timothy 1:1- 2:26
This excerpt from Paul's letter to Timothy is the perfect illustration of what it means to be a Christian. Here we see Paul in chains because of His faith writing to his disciple Timothy on how to stay strong in the faith. There is only one thing on Paul's mind prior to his execution, and it is the same thing that is the reason he is being executed. This letter is directly from the heart of Paul, and it is drenched in love, as well as in confidence. Ladies, this should tell us something. Look at your life. If you continue to live as you have and are right now, could your faith- based solely on the level you are living it out right now- ever result in the privilege of being locked up in jail and bound by chains for the sake of the Gospel? If your answer is no, then there is a problem. We must realize that those who locked Paul up did not set out on a quest to find and kill him because he was a Christian, rather he was not the target until he was causing a ripple in society! Our idea of Christianity today is bogus! Think about it, Paul's faith could have very easily been a mirror reflection of how we follow Christ today: as simple as claiming Christ as our saviour, attending church every Sabbath, and taking a stand for our faith when the opportunity presented itself, but that is not what Paul did! Rather Paul claimed Christ not just as his Savior, but as the Saviour- and he didn't do it just in church, he did it to the whole Province of Asia! Paul didn't spend his time thinking of strategies to lure people into church, rather he took the Good news to the people outside of the church's walls! Paul didn't wait for an opportunity to share the gospel once a year, rather he made every encounter, everyday, an opportunity. The Jewish council arrested Paul because he was out of control, because the masses were responding to the truth of the Gospel, because his faith actually became a threat to those who did not believe in Jesus. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US? Our idealized routine that we call Christianity is an illusive righteousness that not even the early apostles followed- Jesus didn't even act like we do now, so how in the world can we claim we are following Christ when we look nothing like Him? Paul's letter to Timothy should convict our souls, for we are a disgrace to Christianity in comparison to Paul. Ladies, we lounge in our padded pews on Sunday morning, pull out our cell phones during service to text our friends, take notes we never intend to walk out, and refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to have free reign over our bodies throughout worship because we have already been convinced the people behind us will look at us like we are weird and so we keep our hands down because we care more about what they think than what God thinks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Christianity is not about you, it is about Christ! You do not go to church to get something; you go to church to bring something and that's worship to God. Paul's goal was to bring the Gospel to an entire continent and yet we are too absorbed with our to-do lists and appearances to even bring the Gospel to the waitress serving us lunch after church. There is something wrong with these massive differences, for they scream the truth that we are not putting our faith in God... rather we have faith in our statuses and we don't even know God. Ladies, Something occurred to me this past week that forced me to ask myself, "what am I living for?" It is a question that we could all ask ourselves and oh how easy it would be to just respond "God," but the colossal problem in our generation is that the leading religion of our nation is Christianity! Why is that a problem? Have you watched the news lately, just flipped through the channels, opened a newspaper, turned on the radio, or just walked outside lately? If there was a spot in the Gennis World records for the Greatest contradiction of all time, this would be in the number one spot. The majority of our nation somehow thinks they know God and that they are saved, but obviously this can not be true! When we hold up Paul's life to the average American's, it's like oil and water. Why does it matter? Because it is our fault! There is no distinction in Christianity any more, and it is our fault because we play the role of oil in church yet we live the role of water in the world. We claim to be Christian, yet we are clueless as to what Christian really means, and in result the characteristics of the life of Paul- a true Christian- are no longer required to bear the name of God. Endure suffering, work hard, prison, death... these are words that have become foreign to most of us, yet they are a few of the words that Paul used to encourage Timothy to continue in the faith. Ladies, it is time to realize that the persecution will not occur unless your faith is a threat that is actually impacting the world around you. Know that persecution is a valid sign that you belong to God, for persecution doesn't occur without proclaiming the Gospel, and proclaiming the Gospel doesn't occur without salvation. Just as Paul told Timothy:
"But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived." -2 Timothy 3: 10-13.
A real Christian does not have an option to live like Christ lived. Paul knew this, and he was obedient. Ladies, there are no levels in Christianity, and there are no options to choose from either. The only way Christianity and option can be included in the same sentence is if Christianity is the option. You can choose Christ or you can choose other, but know that this ballot is not marked with your pen... it is marked by your works. How did Timothy know what Paul's purpose in life was? Because he truly lived it out. The question is, when will you decide to start truly living yours?
CHALLENGE: How many people have you shared the Gospel with this week? How many have come to know the Lord? Ladies, the point of challenging you to share the Gospel is to strengthen your willingness and faithfulness in the command God has given you to share the Gospel. Everywhere you go, every new destination throughout your day, do not leave until you have shared the Good News with somebody! If satan can keep you silent by the thought of simple humiliation, then how will you be able to stand up for Christ with someone holding a gun to your head? Its raw, but it is real. I truly believe we must be prepared for such circumstances because in the heat of the moment, denying God will look very appealing. If you have been faithful with the running, the prayer walking, and the witnessing, then you should be seeing dramatic changes in the way you approach other areas of your life. Write down in your prayer journal the improvements the discipline has made in your life. This week, keep up the running, but instead of adding another lap, we are going to add pushups and abs. So this is how it will look every night: 10 pushups (and not the wimpy ones either), 30 crunches (if you have another type of abdominal exercise you would prefer to do then that is fine as long as you do 30), then run 9 ladders, and lastly prayer walk for at least 10 minutes. Talk to God, tell Him about your day, and pray for those around you who need it! The devotional today is heavily dealing with reaching out, and allowing Christ to define you rather than the status of being what the world thinks a Christian is to define you. This week, since school has started back, I want you to reach out to a girl that you do not know and discover everything about her. Get to know her, sit with her at lunch, and by the end of the week see if she has any plans this weekend. I want you to write your experience in your prayer journal and ask God to lead you in this new friendship. It is all about getting out of your comfort zone, so it doesn't count if your comfortable. Step out and form the relationship, let the Spirit lead, and be faithful. Continue the witnessing, and remember, it is everywhere you go! Ladies, Paul committed Himself to an entire continent, surely you can manage these tasks. Rise up ladies, and don't be afraid of discovering the strength of the Holy Spirit within you. You think you can handle it? If your a real woman of God, you can.
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