2 Timothy 1:1–14
Salutation
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Reflection
Right off of the bat, I have to say that I love how the letters are addressed. Unlike the handwritten letters of my day, the sender's name is listed first. You don't have to peek at the return address and guess and you don't have to skip to the bottom to see who wrote the letter. The sender's name is up front and at the beginning. What a time saver! But today, with email, we now can see the sender first. Did we get this idea from the epistles?
Here is Paul, sitting in prison, sending encouragement to his brother in Christ, Timothy. Paul is rejoicing in a life in Christ. He doesn't have the pessimistic viewpoint like so many of us do today. Paul has a viewpoint that comes from above; a viewpoint from the reference of eternity with God. Paul has a viewpoint that goes beyond the worries, the pains, the sufferings of this world to an eternity with God.
This moment on earth is brief. We can spend it complaining about Congress, Obama, unemployment, illness, pain, death, healthcare, or a myriad of many things... OR... we can spend it with an appreciation of the act of God in Jesus on this earth. An act of God that sent his Son to live, minister, heal, suffer and die that we may have eternal life. If you really believe that, then your viewpoint SHOULD change. We know that this life on earth is but a moment. We must spend that moment as God has called us to spend that moment. For our hope isn't in this moment of life in ourselves; our hope is in the eternity we will spend with God. What a waste it would be to spend this moment complaining.
Paul's perspective is and should be the believers perspective. Pessimism is gone in the moment, but faith, hope and love lives in eternity. So, why waste time in worry? Why waste time complaining? Why waste time in this brief moment of life on earth that we have moaning and groaning about those things that will not last?
Rather, as we see Paul doing in this passage of Scripture; spend time encouraging the Children of God in our eternal lives and the call of our lives in Christ Jesus here on this earth and in this moment. If we do this, all of the pain, the suffering and the drama can fade into background noise as we focus on our Savior on the Cross and see the open tomb that leads to new life now and into eternity with God.
A change of perspective due to Jesus, due to the response of so many disciples, due to the love of God. Yes, I think this passage is about a change. A lovely change that God has brought to us in Christ and that God is doing in his children, in you and me who believe. A change that we could not do on our own, but a change that was freely and graciously given to us from before eternity. Thanks be to God for this gift of witnessing Paul's life perspective and his change.
Prayer
Lord, I look to you in this brief moment of life I have in this place and in this time. I look to you to use the spiritual gifts you freely give. I look to you for your purpose in my life in the here in now. I look to you knowing of the grace and love you freely give to me in Christ. A love that transcends eternity and a perspective that is from eternal life with you. Be with me this day as I seek to live the life your would have me live to glorify you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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