1But mark this: There will be...

1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
- P40

6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,

7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

- P41

This warning reminds us to be discerning so that we are not so easily deceived by those who act and appear godly while pursuing personal pleasure. - P42

After saying that some who oppose the gospel will hopefully come to their senses and repent, Paul also warns that many will continue to live in unholy and unloving ways. These people are prideful and selfish and will focus on their own desires rather than caring for others. Some of them may appear godly, but they do not truly believe in the power of God. Paul instructs Timothy to avoid them because of the harm they inflict on the community. - P42

Lord Jesus, thank you for the truth of Your Word. When I encounter people who seem godly, let Your Holy Spirit guide me so that I may discern those who truly represent You from those who oppose the truth and are motivated by selfish desires. In Your name I pray, amen. - P43

14Keep reminding God’s people...

14Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

18who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.

- P36

19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
l - P36

22Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

23Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

- P37

25Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. - P37

Paul tells Timothy to warn others against quarreling about words and en-courages him to correctly handle the word of truth. He warns against godlesschatter and false teachers. He instructs Timothy to flee from the evil desires ofyouth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.  - P37

He is to gently instructhis opponents, hoping God will grant them repentance. - P37

Paul instructs Timothy to warn the believers against indulging in godless conversations, which promote further ungodliness. He also points out how false teachings can destroy a person’s faith. Healthy debate and correction can be useful, but quarreling and bickering have a negative impact on those who listen. Paul’s instructions are meant to remind Timothy of the power of words. - P38

Maintaining good character is also important because someone who does God’s work should not be comitting shameful acts or mishandling God’s Word. - P38

Remember that words have power and value, especially when related to faith. Words of truth coming from people with godly character have great impact, but those who indulge in shameful acts and false teachings destroy others. - P38

Paul describes what Timothy should be like as a servant of the Lord: notquarrelsome, kind to everyone, able to teach, and not resentful. He mustgently instruct his opponents, hoping that God will lead them to repentand know the truth.  - P38

True servants of the Lord are not to act out of arogance or immaturity but pursue righteousness, faith, love, andpeace.
They are to avoid foolish arguments and seek to be kind to others, offeringgentle instruction. Such an approach can help people recognize the devil‘slies for what they are and see the light of God‘s truth.  - P38

May we be carefulto avoid prideful, immature, and foolish pursuits and instead reflect God‘srighteousness and kindness as we encourage others to draw near to Him. - P38

 I am, of course, open tohealthy debate and correction, but if someone offers a harsh word, hopethat my own response will reflect Christ-like character. - P39

Dear God, thank you for the privilege of being Your servant on this earth. I want to be effective in helping others know Your truth. - P39

Lead me away from immature or foolish pursuits and teach me to reflect Your gentleness when I speak with others. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P39

3Join with me in suffering, l...

3Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. - P32

7Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. - P32

8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,

9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.

10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

- P33

11Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;

12if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;

13if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. - P33

Paul encourages Timothy to be strong and entrust what he heard from Paulto reliable people. Paul shares that he endures suffering for the sake of theelect.  - P33

He gives Timothy a trustworthy saying: if they die with Christ, they willlive with Him; if they endure, they will reign with Him; if they disown Him, Hewill disown them; if they are faithless, He remains faithful. - P33

Paul exhorts Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus. When he is fully walking in this grace, Timothy becomes like a good Christian soldier who is not distracted by everyday activities and willingly does whatever he can to please God. He can effectively convey the gospel message to others who in turn spread it to even more people. - P34

Sharing the gospel can feel daunting at times, but as we embrace the grace of Christ, we will become focused on the Lord and the tasks He has for us, and we will find that we are able to do far more than we thought possible. - P34

May we continue to seek His grace so that we might be strong, resilient, and focused Christian soldiers for His kingdom. - P34

Paul explains that he is able to endure suffering even to the point of beingchained because he is focused on Jesus. He does everything he can becausehe wants more of God‘s people to receive salvation. Even if some people arefaithless,  - P34

Paul is encouraged because God remains faithful. Instead of beingself-centered and making much of his hard work, legacy, or honor, Paul isfueled to endure suffering for the sake of the gospel because he remembersthe work of Jesus Christ. Even though he experiences some suffering now,
he looks forward to the day when God‘s people will reign with Him.  - P34

Let uslikewise be quick to remember our glorious Christ whenever we struggle toendure through our hardships. - P34

"Humility, gratitude, dependence on Christ, contrition-these are the characteristicattitudes of the truly converted."- Don Carson - P34

When Jesus declares that the greatest commandment is to love God with allour heart, soul, and mind, this commandment points to the Father‘s profi-ciency in knowing how to empower, encourage, and sustain His children.
We see this even more clearly in the second part of the same command-ment: to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are not capable of doing thiswithout first receiving from the source of love.
This fundamental truth is challenging today because our world boasts ofknowing how to keep us recharged, motivated, and satisfied. The greatdanger is not that the world will succeed in proving its point but that wewill dabble in the endless disappointments of life, trying one source afteranother until we slowly starve ourselves into misery.  - P35

Let us recognize thateverything has a fitting source. We were made for God, so we must remaincontinually connected to Him to live a full life. Only He can truly invigo-rate, equip, and satisfy our bodies, souls, spirits, and minds. - P35

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I am tempted to live for my own glory. - P35

Keep me focused on You, and remind me that I cannot do a single thing without Your grace and strength. In Your name I pray, amen. - P35

12That is why I am suffering ...

12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

13What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.


- P28

14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
- P29

God saved believers and called them to a holy life through the grace givenin Christ Jesus, who destroyed death. Paul was chosen to be a herald, apostle,
and teacher of this good news.  - P29

For this reason, he suffers but is unashamed,
knowing whom he believes. Paul encourages Timothy to keep sound teachingand guard what was entrusted to him. - P29

Fully confident that Christ, in His own purpose and grace, not only savedHis people but also called them into holy lives, Paul willingly suffers for thegospel. He is not ashamed of being a prisoner, and he trusts the Lord withhis life.  - P30

Many of Paul‘s friends have abandoned him, but Timothy continues to minister, and Paul encourages him to remember the pattern of soundteaching he heard from him. Paul is also grateful for those in the householdof Onesiphorus, who actively sought him out to refresh him.  - P30

There may betimes when we suffer for the gospel and lose friends because they no longerfollow Christ. In those moments, we must remember that we are anchoredin Him and that we are called to live out His glorious purposes. We can alsobe grateful for those who do support and refresh us. - P30

Dear Jesus, thank you for defeating death and giving us eternal life. Help usto treasure Your gospel, receive Your grace each day, and share it faithfullywith others. In Your name, amen. - P31

7For the Spirit God gave us d...

7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

- P23

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, writes to Timothy, whom he calls his dearson. Paul remembers Timothy‘s sincere faith and urges him to fan into flamethe gift of God, which is in him. He reminds Timothy that the Spirit God gavebelievers gives them power, love, and self-discipline, and encourages him notto be ashamed of the testimony about the Lord. - P23

Paul writes with urgency and passion to his spiritual son, Timothy. Remembering Timothy’s tears from when they last saw each other, Paul reassures him that he is constantly praying for him and cannot wait to see him again because meeting with Timothy brings Paul joy. - P24

Although he is writing from prison, Paul’s conscience is clear; he knows that he has been a faithful servant of the Lord. He also recognizes the multi-generational blessing of sincere faith in Timothy’s family. - P24

May we value not only the good friends and mentors in our lives but also the long history of those who have been faithful as we ourselves partake in God’s story of redemption and do our part to serve the Lord. - P24

Paul reminds Timothy to passionately and boldly serve God, knowing thatthe Spirit has equipped him with power, love, and self-discipline. Paul urgesTimothy not to be ashamed of being a Christian or of being associatedwith him, who is imprisoned for preaching the gospel.  - P24

Rather than beingafraid of suffering, Timothy is exhorted to join in it with the confidencethat God‘s power is at work.  - P24

Sometimes, we forget that the same God whocalls us to serve Him also equips us with His power, love, and self-discipline.
- P24

When we feel timid or even ashamed of preaching the gospel, let us relyon the power of Christ and boldly and passionately use our gifts to live outour calling. - P24

Dear God, thank you for equipping me with Your power, love, and self-discipline. When I start to feel timid, reinvigorate me to boldly and unashamedly live out my calling as Your faithful servant. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P24