Category: 2 Timothy Devotionals

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

My life verses

2 Timothy

As a teacher, I consider 2 Timothy 3:16-4:8 to be my life verses.

In particular, I constantly feel the weight of Paul’s words in verses 1-5 of chapter 4.

One day I will stand before God and before Jesus Christ to be judged. Not concerning my salvation, but my faithfulness in doing my ministry.

Was I faithful in preaching his word faithfully?

In a world where people are turning aside from truth and are choosing teachers who will only tell them what they want to hear, did I preach the whole counsel of God? (Acts 20:26-27)

Or did I only teach the “easy things,” the things people like to hear?

Did I teach it whether it was “convenient” to do so or not? Whether people liked what God said or not?

Those questions have shaped my entire teaching ministry.

One thing that blogging through the whole Bible forced me to do, was to make sure I didn’t avoid the “difficult” issues and the “difficult” passages. To make sure God’s people know all that he has said. Hopefully, I achieved that.

Have I been completely faithful in doing this throughout my teaching ministry? I can look at times when I probably wasn’t. I can’t do anything about that. All I can do is to control what I do from here on out.

The thing is, though, we all have the responsibility of bringing the Word of God to the people around us. We will stand before God some day and answer to him for what we told people and what we didn’t tell them.

And so I repeat the words of Paul to you.

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom:

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

Holding to truth

2 Timothy

We live in, as Paul would put it, “hard times.” (2 Timothy 3:1)

We live in times when more and more people try to substitute God’s truth with their own version of it.

The result is not good to say the least. (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Even worse, the time will come when people will persecute us if we don’t accept “their truth.” The pressure for us to accept “truth” contrary to God’s truth will be immense.

In America, Christians are already facing that pressure, especially concerning LGBTQ+ issues. Some Christians are already buckling under that pressure. Just today, I read in the news of one Christian adoption agency that did just that.

But as Paul said, though the people around us lie and are themselves deceived, we are to hold to the truth, God’s truth that we have received.

God’s words are breathed out of his very mouth and bring salvation and life.

The “truth” this world is proclaiming brings death.

But remember that those holding to these lies are not our enemies. They are people that Christ died for. And so let’s be sure to take to heart the words we read yesterday.

The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness.

Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.

Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2:24-26)

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

Reflecting on God’s word

2 Timothy

One of the dangers of making our Bible reading a mere “habit” is that we rush the reading, and then promptly forget what we read. We think, “Well, I’ve fulfilled my Christian duty for the day.” 

I will admit it is tempting for me to just skim over a passage, thinking, “I know this passage already. There’s nothing new here for me to learn.”

But Paul told Timothy, 

Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

Consider. Think on. Reflect on. 

And all the while praying, “Lord give me understanding. What are you trying to say to me today?” 

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been blessed because I pushed aside the temptation to simply skim over a passage and instead took the time to reflect on it. 

So let’s make a practice of doing that, starting today. Resist the temptation to simply rush through your Bible reading today. There are a lot of treasures in today’s passage if you’ll just reflect on it. 

Take time to read and reread. Think on what is written. And give God the opportunity to speak to you.

Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says…(Revelation 2:29)

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

Living by the gospel

2 Timothy

One thing that Paul wanted Timothy to remind the Christians is to live by the gospel. What does that mean?

It means that we daily remember the goodness and loving kindness of God toward us. That when we were lost sheep who were far from him, he saved us.

He saved us not because we were good sheep doing good things.

He saved us because of his mercy. He washed us and made us into new people through his Holy Spirit.

And it is because of that grace, we stand justified before him.

What is the result of remembering all this? It fills our hearts with thanksgiving and causes us to want to please him. Paul says,

I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. (2 Timothy 3:8)

Take some time to read all of Titus today (it’s very short), and see how many times that theme of God’s people doing good works is repeated.

But remember: We are not trying to impress God with our good works. We are not trying to prove ourselves to him by these works. We have already been accepted and loved by him.

And when we remember that, we can’t help but want to please our Father.

Do you feel you have to prove yourself worthy to God? To your pastor? To your parents? To others?

That’s not living by the gospel. To live by the gospel is to rest and rejoice in the love and grace of our Father.

If you have constantly feel you have to prove yourself worthy, you’ll eventually get tired and worn out. If you rest in the Father’s grace and love, pleasing your Father will be your joy.

How about you? Are you living by the gospel?

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

Remember Jesus

2 Timothy

I really love this passage, but two things really stand out to me.

…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)

Paul doesn’t say, “Man up. It’s all up to you! So do it!”

He says, “Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus.”

Our strength doesn’t come from within ourselves. Our strength comes from resting in him. In knowing that he already loves us and accepts us.

That is to be the foundation of our lives.

It is that knowledge that helps us when we face trials.

It’s that knowledge that sustains us when everything and everyone seems against us.

It’s that knowledge that helps us stand when we’re tired and feel like we can’t go on.

“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

The second verse that strikes me is related to that first one in many ways.

Remember Jesus Christ… (2 Timothy 2:8)

When things are hard, remember Jesus Christ.

Remember that he faced hardship too. Even the cross.

When things seem hopeless, remember Jesus Christ.

That in the most hopeless place, the grave, he rose to life. And in that cold, dark place, hope arose too.

So let us always remember Jesus and sing in our hearts with Paul that ancient hymn of the church.

For if we died with him,
we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

Why do we have hope? As we saw a couple blogs ago, not because we are good sheep. But because Jesus is a good shepherd.

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

Remember Jesus Christ

2 Timothy

“Remember Jesus Christ!” Paul cries out in verse 8.

How well we would do to remember Jesus Christ in our daily lives.

Put another way, remember Jesus the Messiah, our Savior, descendant of David, who was crucified for our sins according to prophesy, and who was raised from the dead for our justification. (Romans 3:25)

Paul was bound like a criminal, sitting in a cell, about to be executed by Nero. And in the midst of it all, he remembered Jesus the Messiah. And he remembered what was perhaps a hymn being sung in the church at the time.

For if we died with him,
we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

That was his hope in that dark, dank cell.

And it is our hope. Jesus is our hope.

So whatever you’re going through, whether good or bad, remember Jesus Christ.

Remember Jesus, our Messiah, and all he has done for us to save us from our sins.

Remember what he is doing for us even now, interceding for us in all our troubles.

Remember what he will do for us when he returns and makes all things new.

And remember that he does all these things for us, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.

Remember Jesus Christ.

Categories
2 Timothy Devotionals

What we have in Jesus

2 Timothy

Paul wrote this letter not long before he was put to death by Nero. It’s that fact that makes his first words to Timothy more than a little meaningful.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:1)

The promise of life in Christ Jesus.

So often when we go through trials and struggles in life, we focus on those trials and struggles instead of what we have in Jesus.

And we all have so much in Jesus.

Paul tells us three of those things we have in verse 2: grace, mercy, and peace.

Paul expands on what he means in verses 9-10:

The Father saved us and called us to be his own, not because we are somehow more innately special or different than anyone else, but because of his own purposes and grace.

Through Jesus’ work on the cross and the blood he shed there, we now have peace with God. And in him, God has now abolished death and given us life and immortality.

None of us know why God would choose us. I certainly don’t.

But there are two things we do know with certainty:

  1. We didn’t deserve to be chosen.
  2. God’s choice is not arbitrary.

It’s not as though God callously says, “I chose this one, but I don’t choose that one.”

Rather, according to purposes too mysterious and deep for any of us to fathom, he looked upon us in love, and said, “I choose you.”

That’s amazing.

So whatever you’re facing this day, whatever struggles, whatever tears, whatever worries, remember what you have in Jesus.

And be strong, not in yourself, but in the grace you have already received. (2:1)