NT: “But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people… But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured — and yet the Lord rescued me from them all. In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed… All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:1-5, 10-14a, 16-17‬ ‭CSB)

We are currently in the “last days.” Technically speaking, we have been in the “last days” since Christ left the earth and sent forth His Holy Spirit. How long the last days will last, no one knows but God the Father – but we do know that the last days will come to an end once the good news of the kingdom has been proclaimed in all the inhabited earth as a testimony to all people groups (Matthew 24:14). Paul forewarned Timothy (and us) that within the last days there will be hard times. The Greek word for times is the word ‘kairos,’ which refers to seasons or due season. As spring progresses to winter, there are changes in the seasons… and before the new life of spring can arise, the bleak death and disillusionment of winter descends upon the earth. So will be the last days. As time progresses from the resurrection and ascension of Christ to Christ glorious return, the seasons of life on earth will progress and hard times will grow harder until the end… then all will be made new when Christ returns in Glory to destroy His enemies.

As hard as times were at the end of Paul’s life, he knew that they were only going to get harder… that people were going to grow more and more deceived, appearing to be religious, but full of all kinds of evil and conceit. When those hard times came, Paul would not be there to help Timothy… but his words would be there… and the word of God would be there. For Timothy to endure through the hard times and come out standing in faith… for us to endure in faith until the end, he needed (and we need) to continue in the truth that he had learned and believed in, and he (and we) needed to know how to use scripture to mature and complete his faith, and equip him for every good work. As Paul said, evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving people and being deceived. The word of God is the unchanging North Star that will lead us through hard and perilous times to come out at the end saved and in faith.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the sureness and steadfastness of Your word… that all scripture is inspired by You and profitable for growing me to maturity and equipping me for every good work. Help me to grow in my understanding and knowledge of Your word by Your Holy Spirit, so that no matter how hard or perilous times become, I will be have what I need to stay the course and endure in faith until the end. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels. 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 Timothy‬ ‭2:22-26‬ ‭CSB)

I wonder if tensions were high in the Ephesian church. When pressures arise and opinions begin to compete, the temptation is to raise your voice to try and drown out your competitors. Paul told Timothy to flee from youthful passions. The Greek word behind passions actually refers to lusts and desires. I wonder if the desire to be proven right falls into that category. I know that my desire to be proven right can become quite passionate – especially when I know that the voices arguing against me are completely wrong. When that happens, the temptation is always to become quarrelsome. The only problem with that is, when you become quarrelsome and argumentative – it doesn’t matter what side of the issue you are on, you have been taken captive by the devil’s will.

Paul’s wise advice to Timothy, instead of loudly pursuing his passionate desires, was to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Anyone who sincerely follows the Lord in faith should do that. All who are in Christ should reject foolish and ignorant disputes, for they do not produce good fruit. The Greek word behind disputes refers to controversial matters. We have had a lot of controversial matters lately – and a lot of believers have allowed themselves to engage in disputes that have only led to unfruitful and sometimes embarrassing quarrels.

According to Paul, instead of quarreling, we need to engage with gentleness and patience. This translation uses gentle or gentleness twice in the same sentence. However, the Greek uses two different words. When Paul said that we must be gentle to everyone, the word that he used there actually means affable. Affable means friendly and at ease, which is quite the opposite of tense and argumentative. When Paul said that we need to instruct our opponents with gentleness, the word that he used there actually means with meekness. Meekness is not weakness. Rather, it is strength under restraint. When we pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, and engage our opponents with gentleness, we glorify God with our attitude and composure, we resist the will of the devil, and we give truth an opportunity to speak and lead others to their senses.

Psalms: “The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Your throne has been established from the beginning; you are from eternity. The floods have lifted up, Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their pounding waves. Greater than the roar of a huge torrent — the mighty breakers of the sea — the Lord on high is majestic. Lord, your testimonies are completely reliable; holiness adorns your house for all the days to come.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭93:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

One of the main things that causes us to lose our composure is fear: fear of being wrong… fear of losing something valuable… fear of harm. We are living in tumultuous times. The floods have lifted up their voices and we hear the pounding waves all around us. However, greater than all the tumult and the noise of the pounding waves is the Lord God. He is the Lord over the flood and His kingdom cannot be shaken. When Paul said to pursue faith, that is probably part of what he was talking about. There is no need for us to lose our composure due to fear. If we are in Christ by faith, we are His and He is ours. As He is above the tumult, so are we in Him. The Lord reigns! Have faith and be at peace.

Prayer: Lord, You said, “Blessed are the meek and humble, for they will inherit the earth.” When You were opposed, You never lost control, but always addressed your opposers with strength under restraint. Because You were able to engage with gentleness, I can engage with gentleness by Your Spirit within me. Help me to not be overcome by the tumult of the times, but instead pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace by Your grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “This saying is trustworthy: 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. Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to fight about words. This is useless and leads to the ruin of those who listen. Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness, and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:11-19‬ ‭CSB)

Many people refer to the Kingdom of God as the “upside down kingdom,” because the ways of the kingdom are paradoxical to the ways of the world. If you die in faith, you live for eternity. If you endure suffering in faith, you reign with Christ in glory. If you lose your life for Christ’s sake, you find your life in Him. However, if instead of pressing forward and holding on in faith, you deny Christ and deny your faith, Christ will deny you at the end of the age. Our level of faithfulness or faithlessness has no effect on His faithfulness to His word. The choice to be faithful or faithless is ours. If we choose to be faithful, God will grace our faithfulness in Him by the Holy Spirit. If we choose to be faithless, God will release us to our desires and will not vary from His word to accommodate our decision.

As Paul was nearing the end of His life, His desire was that Timothy and the Ephesian church would be faithful to the word, will and ways of the Lord, and stop prioritizing activities, attitudes and arguments that were of no importance to the kingdom of God. When we come to faith in Christ, we are all commissioned to be workers in His kingdom. A worker in the kingdom can either find himself approved at the end of this age, or he can find himself ashamed. The worker who is approved is the worker who has diligently given himself to the work of the kingdom and has not allowed himself to become distracted by lesser things. The worker who is approved is the worker that has remained committed to the word, will and ways of God and has not gotten sidetracked by the ideas and opinions of man. The worker who finds himself ashamed is the worker who has not given himself over to kingdom work, but has pursued building his own kingdom instead. The worker who finds himself ashamed is the worker who compromises the truth of the word and the ways of God in order to find approval and acceptance in the eyes of the world. God’s foundation stands firm. There is nothing that we can do that will cause His kingdom to shake. And we can be sure that God will be faithful to bless those who are His and resist those who, in the end, are not.

Psalms: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to declare your faithful love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre. For you have made me rejoice, Lord, by what you have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of your hands. How magnificent are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this: though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed… The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare, “The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92:1-7, 12-15‬ ‭CSB)

God is faithful night and day, and He has promised to bless those who walk in righteousness and remain faithful to His word, will and ways. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘stupid’ actually means brutish. Someone who is brutish is someone who lacks reason and intelligence and is led strictly by his senses. The Hebrew word for fool refers to someone who is arrogant and unteachable. Brutish and arrogant people do not understand that unrighteousness and evil will eventually be destroyed – for they are only concerned with their reality and what they can see in the here and now. The truth, however, is that though unrighteous people may profit and succeed now in the world system, they will ultimately fail and find themselves wanting. However, those who place their faith in God and walk faithfully according to His word, will and ways… even when they are old, they will still be fruitful, and their lives will be eternally blessed.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that by placing my faith in You, I have been counted worthy to be a worker in Your kingdom… and member of Your family and a co-worker in Your family business. My desire is to be a faithful and diligent worker, who at the end of my life, hears the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I don’t want to get to the end of my life to find out that all of my efforts were not kingdom worthy and end up going up in spoke and fire. As I endeavor to to be faithful to Your word, will and ways, grace me by Your Holy Spirit to remain diligent and faithful.

OT: “Then all the commanders of the armies, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached the prophet Jeremiah and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the Lord your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes), that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should go and the thing we should do.” So the prophet Jeremiah said to them, “I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and I will tell you every word that the Lord answers you; I won’t withhold a word from you.” And they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we don’t act according to every word the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us. We will certainly obey the Lord our God!” …When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God — all these words the Lord their God had sent him to give them —  then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah, “You are speaking a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to stay there for a while!’ Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans to put us to death or to deport us to Babylon!” So Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the armies, and all the people failed to obey the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42:1-6, ‭43:1-4‬ ‭CSB)

After the fall of Jerusalem when most of the inhabitants of Judah were taken into exile, Jeremiah was given the choice to either remain in Judah or go to Babylon. Jeremiah chose to stay in Judah with the small remnant of people that the Babylonians left behind to tend to the land. Still fearful of what may happen to them, the leaders of that remnant approached Jeremiah and asked him to seek the Lord on their behalf – so that they would know what to do.

The exchange between the people and Jeremiah is interesting. First, they said to Jeremiah, “Pray to the Lord your God on our behalf,” as if to say, the Lord is your God, not ours. Jeremiah responded by saying, “I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words.” In that response, Jeremiah was reminding them that the Lord was their God as well. Finally, the people said, “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the Lord our God.” The result of that exchange seemed promising. The people went from not having any ownership in God to agreeing that they would obey their God, no matter what He said. Unfortunately, that would not be the case.

The word that Jeremiah delivered to the people was not what they wanted to hear. The people wanted to leave the land of Judah and escape to Egypt where they thought they would be safe from the clutches of Babylon. God’s word to them was stay in Judah, and He warned that if they did escape to Egypt, they would do so to their demise. Though the people had said they would obey whatever the Lord said, they did not. They completely rejected the word of the Lord and followed their own wisdom and desires, dragging Jeremiah along with them.

NT: “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

Following the Lord and obeying what He says is challenging at times. Timothy was experiencing that challenge. Because of the persecution of Christians in Rome… because of Paul’s arrest and imminent execution, many in the Ephesian church had left the faith to save their own hides. They had reacted like the remnant of Judah in Jeremiah’s day: remaining faithful to the Lord was too risky, so they left. Paul’s encouragement to Timothy was to be strong in the grace of the Lord and to invest the treasure of God into those faithful people who remained. God isn’t looking for large numbers. He looks for faithfulness. The Lord doesn’t need a multitude of followers to be successful. He just needs a handful of faithful people who will faithfully pour His truth into other faithful people.

In essence, Paul challenged Timothy to not get caught up in the numbers game, and to not place his security in a large congregation. Instead, he needed to place His trust in the Lord his God and Master. To be successful in the Lord’s eyes, Timothy needed to obey the Lord, follow the ways of the kingdom, and work hard by grace. He used three analogies to illustrate that. The life of a soldier is not easy. For soldiers to be effective, they must give up the comforts of civilian life in order to fully follow all the orders of their commanding officer. A life in Christ is the same way. If we get caught up in the comforts of this world, we will not be willing to obey the orders of our Master. For athletes to be able to compete in a race to win a prize, they must follow all the rules and regulations of the race. Kingdom life is the same. In order to receive the reward at the end of the race, we must live our lives according to all the ways of the kingdom. For a farmer to experience and share in a rich harvest, he must work hard and diligently to sow seeds and cultivate the crops along the way. Sharing in the rewards of Christ’s harvest is the same way. We must be diligent to sow good seed into good soil and invest our lives into the care and feeding of those we minister to along the way. If we trust and obey the Lord, we will win the war, obtain our reward, and share in the glorious feast that awaits us at the end of the harvest. 

Psalms: “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust: He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord  — my refuge, the Most High — your dwelling place, no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my salvation.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1-16‬ ‭CSB)

This psalm is all about trusting and obeying the Lord. Last year, when I read this psalm, we were several months into a global pandemic. Businesses were still shut down, people were still locked down in their homes, and this psalm was plastered on yard signs all over my neighborhood as people looked to its words for comfort. Here we are, a year later, and the world is still under the grasp of the pandemic. New variants of the virus have arisen that are proving resistant to the vaccines that so many put their trust in. People are still fighting over masks, and governments are still struggling with what to do to both protect the populace and undergird the economy.

Through the world is still embroiled in turmoil, the words of this psalm still remain true. It is definitely easier to trust in things that can be seen than in the words of the Lord communicated through a thousands of years old psalm. It is definitely easier to trust in the advice and direction of experts and government leaders than in the wisdom and direction that comes from an unseen God. It is definitely easier to take your cues from the world than from the words of scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit. However, the more we trust in the solutions provided to us by the systems of this world, the less we place our trust fully in the Lord our God. In the last few verses of this psalm, the Lord Himself said, “Because he has his heart set on Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name.” Are we like the remnant of Judah in Jeremiah’s day, who say we will trust and obey the word of the Lord no matter what, but then reject the word of the Lord when it isn’t what we want to hear? Or are we like the faithful remnant in Ephesus who remained faithfully trusting in the Lord, following the ways of the kingdom, and diligently receiving, preaching and teaching the gospel as the Roman Empire slowly fell apart? The way to true peace and safety is trusting and obeying the word, will and ways of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your word and Your words. Your word is truth and life, and Your words contain the way to peace, joy and everlasting security in You. I know that following Your word, will and ways is not always easy – but in trusting and obeying You there is grace… and life is infinitely better than death. I desire to be numbered among Your faithful few. Grace me, Lord to will and do Your good pleasure, no matter how hard it may be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:9-14‬ ‭CSB)

In verse 8 of this chapter, Paul told Timothy to not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of Paul who was the Lord’s prisoner – but instead share in suffering for the gospel by relying on the power of God. No one enjoys suffering, and those who do suffer are often viewed shamefully. Many times suffering is viewed as a sign that you have done something wrong and that the suffering is your just punishment. However, Christ suffered immensely – and He didn’t enjoy it much. He even asked the Father to take the cup of suffering away from Him, but as the writer of Hebrews put it, for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross and despised the shame. Christ didn’t do anything to deserve suffering. He did everything right and suffered for the sake of righteousness. Paul was not suffering in prison because he did anything wrong. Paul was suffering because he held fast to what was right – and in suffering for righteousness, he was fellowshipping deeply with Christ.

Paul was also sitting on death row awaiting his execution. Death row inmates are also viewed quite shamefully. To be sitting on death row, one must be the worst of the worst of criminals – guilty of the most heinous of crimes. However, Christ was executed by the state, and He did nothing wrong. In fact, it was because of His completely sinless life that He was the perfect sacrifice for our sin. By His innocent death, He defeated sin, abolished death and gave us everlasting life and immortality through faith in Him. Paul was appointed to be a herald of the good news of Jesus’ victory over sin, hell and death – and it was because of his faithfulness to that call that he was sitting on death row… soon to enter into eternal life with His Savior and Lord.

Though Paul was suffering immensely… though he would soon be executed by the Roman Empire… though he was probably considered by many to be a shameful excuse for a person, Paul was not ashamed. He knew who He was serving. He knew who His Lord and Master was. He knew that through his suffering and even death for the sake of the kingdom of God, he would receive an eternity of rewards and blessing. Timothy didn’t need to be ashamed… and if Timothy held on that that which Paul held on to, Timothy would eventually receive the same reward.

No one wants to go through suffering, and no one wants to be martyred for their faith. But suffering is often part of the life of a faithful follower of Christ. Some people suffer because they truly have done wrong, but that should not be the case for a faithful follower of Christ. There will be times when a faithful follower of Christ will suffer for righteousness sake. Don’t let the fear of suffering, or even death, move you away from truth and righteousness and into compromise. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭5:10-12‬ ‭CSB‬) I know that Jesus is faithful to His word, and I am persuaded that He is willing and able to keep this promise to those who hold on to righteousness, truth and the gospel of Christ until that day.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You were willing to suffer and die for my sake – so that I could enjoy an abundant life here on earth and a glorious eternity of life with You. Just as You were willing to endure the suffering while despising the same, help me to be willing to do the same. Grow my faith to know that whatever I face in Your name, Your grace will be sufficient for me as I hold on to You in faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:3-8‬ ‭CSB)

The letter of 1 Timothy was likely written in AD 64 after Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment. Later that year, much of the city of Rome was consumed by a massive fire. To draw attention away from himself, the Roman Emperor Nero blamed the fire on Christians and began Rome’s official persecution of Christianity. The persecution of Christians in Rome by Nero was especially brutal and inhumane, with some Christians even being burned as torches to light Nero’s evening garden parties. Sometime later, Paul was arrested and brought back to Rome, where he was sentenced to death and thrown into a dungeon where he awaited his demise. It was there in the Mamertime Prison, on “death row,” where the letter of 2 Timothy was written.

As far as we know, Paul did not have any biological children, but he did have spiritual children. Of his spiritual children, Paul considered Timothy to be his dearly loved son. Timothy was Paul’s spiritual heir, and it was to Timothy that Paul entrusted his ongoing ministry. For all intents and purposes, the letter of 2 Timothy was Paul’s last will and testament. He wrote to Timothy to request that he join Paul in Rome, but he also wrote encouragements and instructions to Timothy in case he didn’t make it to Rome in time.

I imagine that life for a professing believer of Christ in the late AD 60s was quite scary. Rome was officially anti-Christian and was executing Christians by the thousands. Because of that, public sentiment for Christians across the empire was probably quite low. In the midst of that, Timothy had the challenging job of leading the Ephesian church, and his spiritual father and mentor was sitting on death row. Paul must have sensed that Timothy was growing discouraged and charged Timothy to not be overcome with discouragement, but to rekindle the fire that was prophetically lit in him through the laying-on of hands. Timothy was anointed and appointed by the Holy Spirit through the laying-on of hands for the role that he now occupied. Just as Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to proclaim liberty, freedom and healing; Timothy was anointed by the Holy Spirit for the work of ministry he had been called to.

The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of fear. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of power, authority and boldness – the Spirit who fills us with agape love and the sound judgement of God. The gospel message that Paul had faithfully preached and was entrusting to Timothy is full of the love of God, the power of God and the wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit that filled and led Paul that also filled and led Timothy is the love of God, the power of God and the wisdom of God. There was no reason for Timothy to be ashamed, afraid, or discouraged for God was with him. Likewise, there is no need for us to ashamed, afraid or discouraged – for we who are in Christ are anointed with Christ’s anointing to fulfill Christ’s great commission… and as we do that, we too will be filled with the love, power and wisdom of God that can overcome any fear and overwhelm any discouragement.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. As I allow myself to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, I am continuously filled with the power, love and wisdom of God. And it is through the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit that You are with me always – even to the end of the age. Help me to not be overcome by discouragement and fear, but to overcome discouragement and fear by the love, power and wisdom that is within me by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen. Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge. By professing it, some people have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all.” (‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:12-21‬ ‭CSB)

At the end of his letter to Timothy, Paul challenged Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. Fighting the fight of faith was not just something Paul was calling Timothy to do. It was also something that the Lord Jesus Christ challenged the churches of the first century to do. In John’s book of Revelation, John recorded a message from the resurrected and glorified Christ to the seven churches in Asia. In each of the seven messages to the churches, Jesus mentioned blessings that would come to those who not only fought the good fight of faith, but conquered the forces that tried to lead them out of faith (Revelation 2-3). Fighting the good fight of faith is an imperative for those in the church today. As we grow ever closer to the end of the age, the pressure to compromise our faith or leave it all together grows greater and greater. In order to accomplish Christ’s great commission and bring about the end of evil on the earth, we must fight the good fight of faith and conquer by grace through faith.

How do we fight the good fight of faith? Paul gave Timothy three ways to fight against the world, the flesh and the devil in faith. Firstly, Paul said to take hold of and hold on to eternal life. We must never lose sight of what Christ accomplished for us, who we are when we place our faith in Him, and the sure hope that frames our destiny with Him. Christ was faithful to the truth of who He was and the mission for which He was sent – even in the face of certain death, and because of that, He won for us the freedom from sin and the ability to be reconciled to God and declared righteous. When we place our faith in Christ, we are made new creations who are filled with the resurrection power of Christ. As we remain in Christ by faith, we are assured a glorious future of eternal life with Him. Just as Christ was faithful even to death, we also need to remain in faith and faithful to our call, either to death, or until Christ comes again.

Secondly, we need sever our hope and security that is placed on earthly things and place our hope and security completely in Christ. Instead of living our lives to accumulate earthly treasures, we need to reprioritize our lives to store up heavenly treasures. The more we place our trust, our hope, and our security in earthly things, the more we will be pressured to comply with the world’s ways and systems. The more we realize that this world has nothing for us, and that our true riches are found in Christ, the less of a hold the world will have on us. Instead of living for ourselves and our pleasures, we will be free to live for the glory of Christ and the good of others.

Finally, we need to guard the truth that has been entrusted to us. We need to know and understand what God has said in His word. We need to know and understand the full gospel of Jesus Christ, not a watered-down, sanitized, politically acceptable version of the gospel. In knowing and understanding God’s word and the gospel of Christ, we need to guard it in our hearts from deceptions, lies and accusations from the enemy. The enemy has been challenging the word of God and accusing God’s character since the garden of Eden – and he will continue doing so until he is finally destroyed. We need to guard the truth that has been entrusted to us and defend it well so it doesn’t get misconstrued and misrepresented to future generations.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You were faithful to the truth of who You are and the mission for which You were sent. Because of Your faithfulness… because You fought the good fight of faith, I am richly blessed. It is now my time to fight the good fight of faith. The baton has been passed to me and it is my time to run my race well, fight the good fight, and finish my race in faith. Help me by grace to let go of the world and hold on to and guard what has been given to me through faith in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” (‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:3-11‬ ‭CSB)

At the beginning of Paul’s letter to Timothy, he warned Timothy about false doctrines that were being spread around the church and causing confusion. Here, at the end of the letter, Paul gave Timothy a way to identify false teachers. There is a marked difference in attitude between teachers who are earnestly committed to teaching the gospel of Christ and those who are not. Those who are committed to teaching the unadulterated gospel of Christ which promotes true godliness have a high degree of humility about them and sincerely desire to walk in unity with the body of Christ. Those who are trying to peddle their own teaching or their own version of the gospel will disagree with the essential components of the gospel and will have an unhealthy interest in disputing and arguing over even the minutest of things.

False teachers, ultimately, are not as concerned with promoting Christ as they are themselves. False teaching can come in a variety of forms – from teaching an aberrant theology to simply omitting unpopular truths from the gospel. Whatever the premise of the false teaching, self-promotion and potential material gain is the underlying motivation… and as the Apostle James wrote, “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. (James 3:16)”

James went on to write, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. (James 3:17-18)” True teachers of the gospel are committed to promoting Christ and the godliness that can be found in Him. They are not seeking their own financial gain, but are seeking the glory of Christ and the welfare of those they are teaching. The love of wealth and prestige is a root of all kinds of evil, but true godliness combined with contentment in what God has provided is full of peace, righteousness and good fruit. It is not wrong to be remunerated for your efforts in ministry. It is wrong to use ministry as a means to line your pockets at the expense of others’ wellbeing. As Paul told Timothy, we need to flee those self-serving desires that lead to compromise and evil, and instead walk in the wisdom from above by pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, and the like.

Proverbs: “Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:3‬ ‭CSB)

King Saul was more concerned with appearing righteous and appeasing the people than he was concerned with honoring and obeying the Lord. Because of that, God sent a message to Saul through the prophet Samuel: “Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. (1 Samuel 15:22b-23a)” God isn’t interested in people appearing to be righteous. Doing the right thing as pretense does not impress the Lord one bit. God is pleased with those who honor and obey His word and place their trust and faith in Him and are made righteous through placing faith in His Son.

Prayer: Lord, Your word says that if we trust in You… if we dwell contently in the places where You lead us… if we delight ourselves in all the blessings that You provide for us, you will give us the things that our hearts truly desire. I don’t want to be a person that takes what I want, but instead waits for You to bless me with what You want to give me: peace, joy, righteousness, godliness, and contentment. Make me aware of those attitudes that I need to flee and help me to walk in a way that honors You primarily and completely. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Lord, they walk in the light from your face. They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. For you are their magnificent strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. Surely our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:14-18‬ ‭CSB)

God’s kingdom – His power and authority to rule and reign over creation and the affairs of humanity – is established on righteousness and justice. All the ways of God are right and just. Everything that He does and says is right and just. He never does or says anything that is unrighteous, unjust or unjustified. Because of that statement of fact, we would all be doomed to destruction, were it not for the second statement of fact: faithful love and truth precedes God’s righteous and just presence. Faithful love is translated from the Hebrew word checed. Checed is God’s zealous goodness, kindness, mercy, and unfailing covenantal love towards us. Truth is translated from the Hebrew word emeth, which means firmness, faithfulness, reliability and stability to what has been spoken. God’s ways are completely and perfectly right and just. God is also completely good, merciful and faithfully loving. In His goodness, mercy and love for humanity, God has promised to provide forgiveness for our sin and a righteous and just way for us to be saved from His righteous and justifiable wrath. Because God is true, we know that because He promised it, He will be sure to deliver on His promise.

God has in fact delivered on His promise. The righteous and just means to receive forgiveness from sin and salvation from wrath was provided through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. When we repent from our sin, place our faith on the finished work of Jesus Christ, and commit our lives to His Lordship, we receive forgiveness and salvation. In Christ, we are justified, declared righteous, reconciled to God, and allowed to abide ever in His presence.

The psalmist wrote, “Happy [blessed] are the people that know [by experience] the joyful shout [of triumph] and are able to walk in the light of God’s presence. They rejoice in God’s name [reputation and glory] all day long and are exalted by His righteousness.” That is true of all who place their faith in Christ and remain in Christ by grace through faith. Christ becomes their exalted King and through Him, they receive the strength to walk according to the righteous and just word, will and ways of the Lord.

Proverbs: “All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs hearts.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:2‬ ‭CSB)

God is righteous and just in all His ways and is the very source of righteous and justice. Because of sin, apart from God, we are removed from true righteousness. Therefore, on our own, we are horrible arbiters of what is truly right and just. The only way to know if a way is right and/or just is to view that way in the light of God’s righteousness and justice… to allow Him to weigh the seen and unseen and declare a verdict.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that everything that You do and say is founded on righteousness and justice. I also thank You that You that Your ways are full of faithful love and truth… and that You have truthfully expressed Your faithful love to me by forgiving me, saving me, justifying me and reconciling me. Because of You, all of my ways can be founded on righteousness and justice as I submit myself to You in faith. Help me to not be committed to my ways, but walk according to Your word, will and ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: “Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers of the temple of the Lord to offer them a drink of wine.” …But they replied, “We do not drink wine, for Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, commanded, ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine. You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Rather, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a resident alien.’ We have obeyed Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, in all he commanded us. So we haven’t drunk wine our whole life — we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters… Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Go, say to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not accept discipline by listening to my words? — this is the Lord’s declaration. The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have been carried out. He commanded his descendants not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this day because they have obeyed their ancestor’s command. But I have spoken to you time and time again, and you have not obeyed me! Time and time again I have sent you all my servants the prophets, proclaiming, “Turn, each one from his evil way, and correct your actions. Stop following other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay attention or obey me. Yes, the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab carried out their ancestor’s command he gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭35:1-2, 6-8, 12-16‬ ‭CSB)

The Rechabites were a nomadic sect of Kenites. The Kenites were not Israelites, but accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them. The Kenites were actually descendants of Moses’ father-in-law. The Rechabites, specifically, were descendants of Jonadab, who lived during the time of the Israelite King Jehu (2 Kings 10:15-23). Though the Kenites settled in the cities of Israel, Jonadab instructed his descendants to not settle in cities, but to live as nomadic foreigners and not drink wine or grow vineyards. For over 250 years, the Rechabites honored the word of their ancestor Jonadab.

During Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Judah and siege of Jerusalem, the Rechabites moved into the city walls of Jerusalem for protection. God spoke to Jeremiah and told him to invite the Rechabites into the temple and offer them wine to drink. God had Jeremiah do that, not to tempt the Rechabites, but to provide Jeremiah with an example of what it looks like to honor someone’s word. When the Rechabites refused Jeremiah’s offer of wine, God spoke to Jeremiah and told him to take that example to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Jonadab, who was a mere man, spoke a word once to his descendants, and they honored it for 250 years. God, the great deliverer of Israel and Creator of the World, had spoken words to Israel over and over through His prophets, and they ignored Him every time.

Recently, my church family has been going through a message series about hearing God. One of the primary ways that God speaks to people is through His written word, the cannon of scripture. The written word of God is a culmination of things that God has already said… and continues to say. Many people want to hear God, but they don’t want to honor and obey the words that He has already said. How can we expect to hear God speak to us if we are not willing to honor and obey what He has already said. Often times, Christians will put out money to travel to prophetic conferences or revival events to hopefully get a word from God, but they aren’t willing to read and understand the words that God has already given us in His word. We, as God’s people, need to follow the example of the Rechabites and honor and obey the word of God. Beyond just reading His word, we need to study it, investigate it, interpret it, meditate on it, apply it and obey it. If we honor the words that God has already said, He will continue to speak to us in fresh ways that we can understand.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for Your word. I thank You for Your written word, and I thank You for the words from Your word that You speak freshly for current circumstances and situations. Help me, as I place my faith in You and Your word, to honor and obey the things that You said and continue to say. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.