Strength in Dependence

This is exactly what Paul is getting at in 2 Tim 2.1: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (KJV). "Be strong," says Paul, not in your own strength and effort, but "be strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus."

We cannot give ourself grace any more than we can give ourselves talents and abilities. Grace comes from the Lord Jesus. We are dependent upon him to provide it. If we do not have grace we cannot be strong in it. So our strength then, comes in dependence. This is just the way the Lord wants it. We depend upon him. He gives us strength. We get help. He gets glory.

Sign of the Apocalypse: Hating what is Good

So says Paul to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3.3. In the last times, writes Paul, difficult days will come. Signs that we are in the last times are: [People] "will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good" (NLT). Whether or not, we as a world community are in the last days I can't say, but we in America certainly seem to fit the bill. In one generation we have gone from loving good and hating evil to hating good and loving evil. It is a remarkable shift, and one often seen in nations that have become morally bankrupt. Funny thing is, we are almost completely blind not to the shift per se because it is evident for all to see. We are blind to how immoral the shift is. We think it is a good shift, a good thing.

Suffer Well Christian, Suffer Well

Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.3 - "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Notice that Paul assumes the inevitability of suffering for the Christian. It is something to be expected. "Endure suffering as a good soldier would endure suffering," says Paul. It is a metaphor which is close to my heart and one I understand well, having endured some suffering as a Marine. We are not instructed to escape suffering, though in some circumstances when we are able and it does not hinder the work of God, it is okay to do so. However, when we are in God-ordained, inescapable suffering, we are to endure it well.

Guard the Precious Truth

So tells Paul to Timothy in 2 Tim 1.14 - "Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you." I like the translation. The key word, it seems to me, is "guard" which is the translation of the Greek word φύλαξον, which means to watch over carefully. Timothy (and by application we) are to:

1. Guard the precious truth

2. Carefully guard it.

3. Guard it through the power of the Holy Spirit (who by the way lives within us).

All of this Paul communicates in 11 words in the Greek. A lot of meaning packed into just a few words.

The Word of God is Not Bound. Ever.

Reading in 2 Tim 8,9, this morning. A couple of favorite verses. Paul is in prison. He is suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. However, where he is bound and unable to go anywhere without permission, the gospel is not bound, it is free to go wherever the Spirit of God would have it go. This is a profound truth. One never knows where words spoken will have an effect. One illustration comes to mind in which a preacher goes to visit people in their house. He shares the gospel with them, they do not come to faith. However, their child is listening in the next room. The child is saved. The word of God is not bound!