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
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