You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
--2 Timothy 2:3 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on September 16, 2013 of Proverbs 5:15-20; 2 Timothy 2; Song of Solomon 1-3.
The Book of the Acts of the Apostles ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome, chained to guards but allowed visitors. He is eventually released and continues his missionary work, leaving Timothy and Titus to minister to churches in Ephesus and Crete. When he visited Troas, he was suddenly arrested a second time, taken to Rome and imprisoned there. Unlike before, this time he was left alone in a cold dungeon. He knew his death was close at hand when he wrote this second letter to Timothy, the young man he often referred to as his beloved son. This would be the last letter Paul would author as he was martyred by beheading shortly after.
If anyone knew about enduring hardship and soldiering for Christ, it was Paul. He had been run out of towns both by mobs and by local authorities. Men had laid in wait to kill him. He had been shouted at, spit on, and beaten multiple times. He survived shipwrecks and and two years of house arrest. Even his conversion came with suffering, being blinded by the Lord for three days. And he constantly bore some sort of personal affliction, his thorn in the flesh. Bearing up under difficult, painful, or even perilous situations was nothing new to Paul. We could say Paul was a wizened veteran in the army of the Lord. It was from his own experiences that he warned his young protege' of what lay ahead: hardship.
And Timothy would have appreciated this advice since he knew the source so well. Paul was his mentor and his friend, a father-figure who treated him like a son. Paul loved him and would have gladly spared him pain and suffering if at all possible. Timothy was well aware of this, just as he was aware that Paul's time on earth was drawing to a close. He must have been heartbroken, but he would have fully understood Paul's warning. He had to carry on for Paul, and there was still much work to be done. Hardship awaited him, yet he had little choice but to forge ahead, for that was where the Spirit led him and he willingly answered that call.
We've all read Paul's warning. If we are to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared to suffer through and endure great hardship. Satan will make sure of that. He will do everything he can to make life miserable for those who stand ready to do battle against his forces of evil. We have a choice. We can follow every urging of the Spirit and soldier on for Christ or not. But if we do, we should look to Paul for what fate might await us. Serving Jesus may bring hardship in this life, but the rewards in the next will be far beyond our imaginings. Soldier on for Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, we believe in You as our Master and our Savior. We want to serve you, to be Your soldier, but sometimes we struggle to bear up to Satan's assaults. Please give us the strength of Paul, Jesus, that You gave him, that we might fight the good fight and advance God's kingdom so we can be joined with You when our time here is finished. In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
If anyone knew about enduring hardship and soldiering for Christ, it was Paul. He had been run out of towns both by mobs and by local authorities. Men had laid in wait to kill him. He had been shouted at, spit on, and beaten multiple times. He survived shipwrecks and and two years of house arrest. Even his conversion came with suffering, being blinded by the Lord for three days. And he constantly bore some sort of personal affliction, his thorn in the flesh. Bearing up under difficult, painful, or even perilous situations was nothing new to Paul. We could say Paul was a wizened veteran in the army of the Lord. It was from his own experiences that he warned his young protege' of what lay ahead: hardship.
And Timothy would have appreciated this advice since he knew the source so well. Paul was his mentor and his friend, a father-figure who treated him like a son. Paul loved him and would have gladly spared him pain and suffering if at all possible. Timothy was well aware of this, just as he was aware that Paul's time on earth was drawing to a close. He must have been heartbroken, but he would have fully understood Paul's warning. He had to carry on for Paul, and there was still much work to be done. Hardship awaited him, yet he had little choice but to forge ahead, for that was where the Spirit led him and he willingly answered that call.
We've all read Paul's warning. If we are to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared to suffer through and endure great hardship. Satan will make sure of that. He will do everything he can to make life miserable for those who stand ready to do battle against his forces of evil. We have a choice. We can follow every urging of the Spirit and soldier on for Christ or not. But if we do, we should look to Paul for what fate might await us. Serving Jesus may bring hardship in this life, but the rewards in the next will be far beyond our imaginings. Soldier on for Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, we believe in You as our Master and our Savior. We want to serve you, to be Your soldier, but sometimes we struggle to bear up to Satan's assaults. Please give us the strength of Paul, Jesus, that You gave him, that we might fight the good fight and advance God's kingdom so we can be joined with You when our time here is finished. In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
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