PASTOR’S NOTES
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Chapter 2 of 2 Timothy is the spiritual gasoline we all need as believers to fight on in faith! Paul encourages young Timothy to press on much like a soldier in war, an athlete in in the 4th quarter, or even a farmer dedicated to his crops. Both letters to Timothy have this same theme to fight the good fight of ministry. Paul tells Timothy that a life of faith is meant to be hard, don’t be shocked by it or angry by your circumstances, but fight through it!
In my many years of counseling others, I have noticed trends of why many sit on my couch. Many have come to see me merely out of their tiredness in life. Life has a way of beating many of us up and it seems like the fight never ends. So, we seek help on how to “fix” this never-ending fight we seem to be losing. So personally, I spent many of my earlier years trying to help people end their seasons of tiredness and wars with therapeutic approaches. I would help them develop interventions and coping skills to avoid the battle and even though there are some wonderful benefits to this approach, I learned that the battle just does not ever end. I learned that people not only need to develop helpful skills to stay balanced and strong, they also need encouragement to keep fighting! A life of faith requires endurance. We need to grow in wisdom and skills to battle well, of course, but at times we just simply need gasoline to continue.
Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
I love this statement by Paul in verse 7. Paul is telling Timothy that he hopes he can understand what he is telling him. That the Lord open his eyes and heart. This might not seem like much, but wisdom to understand is everything when it comes to fighting the good fight of faith. A person must know that they are first in battle. They must know who the enemy is. They also must know what they are fighting for. Lastly, they must know where their strength to continue comes from! Paul tells Timothy that the gospel of Jesus Christ not only saves, but it gives strength to endure. The life of Jesus Christ is able to give believers everything needed to continue in the never-ending battle of faith.
I pray that all of us this week are filled with just that strength to fight the battles that will never end, but are worth fighting! .
I love all of you, stay faithful.
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE
Read Isaiah 41:10 as this is an amazing verse to memorize to give you strength.
HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR BIBLES
Highlight verses 3-7 in chapter 2 this week.
