Devotion 3
9/7/08
2 Timothy 1:3
“I thank God, whom I serve… with a clear conscience…” 2 Timothy 1:3
I don’t particularly care for love bugs. I don’t want to deny any creature the enjoyment of a good relationship during their time here on earth, but perhaps if they paid a bit more attention while flying around looking for (or participating in) their mating rituals, not quite so many would end up losing their lives (and their loves) on my windshield! During the height of the season, I’ve often had to stop during a trip and clear them off so I could safely travel on!
Our windshield and our conscience are a bit alike. It’s best if they both stay clean! Some Windex, a few paper towels, and a bit of elbow grease will usually wash up our dirty windshields, but our own scouring and scrubbing can never leave our conscience sparkling clean. And yet, Paul tells Timothy that he serves God with a clear conscience. Does this mean that Paul never sinned? No, we know he did because he tells us in Romans 7 of his own struggle with sin. This doesn’t mean Paul never sinned, it simply shows that as a Christ-follower he had found the only cleaning solution for his sin –- confession.
We can’t clear up our conscience, but we can confess our sins. And when we do, God cleans us up. When it comes to sin, God gives us the gift of guilt and the cleansing of confession. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God cleans and clears our conscience with His forgiveness. God does not forgive us because He feels sorry for us or because we’re sorry. He forgives us because of His character and because of the cross. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful (that’s God’s character) and just (that’s the cross) to forgive us of our sins…”
In grace God has made us His own. His plan and desire is that we joyfully live in that relationship – constantly communicating and sharing with Him. Often as we go throughout our day, the splats and splotches of sin (yes – let’s call those wrong attitudes and actions what they really are) cloud our view of God and of His path for us. Sometimes we stop and confess “just enough” to see a little bit, and we carry on our journey, hoping we’re on the right side of the road and that nothing out of our limited view needs our attention! This restricted sight keeps up from enjoying the beauty of the scenery around us, from seeing ones who could use our help along the way, or from noticing things coming toward us that can hurt us. To fully see God and the full life He has for us, we must maintain a clear conscience. We don’t need partial confession. We need complete confession.
So please, don’t let anything cloud your conscience. Trust me, you’re not going to shock God with anything you tell Him. He’s heard it all! He died for it all! He will graciously forgive it all! If you are His child, nothing you do could ever change that relationship. But your unconfessed sin will surely cloud your fellowship and keep you from enjoying the sweetness of close intimacy with Him.
So don’t travel another minute without a completely clear conscience!
Stop and confess. Receive the cleansing of forgivenss. Then carry on in His grace!
Time For A Little R&R
RECOGNIZE
What is currently clouding your conscience? Ask God to start at your head (what you’re thinking) and work down to your toes (where you’re going) to show you the splats and splotches of sin that need cleaning.
RESPOND
Just do it. Confess what you know is keeping you from closeness with your Father. And thank Him for the faithfulness of His character and the justice of the cross.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Graceful Greetings
Devotion 2
9/4/08
2 Timothy 1:2
"To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
How do you begin your notes or e-mails? I guess my Southern upbringing shines through in my correspondence because I find it difficult to just jump into business without first making a personal connection. Usually it’s something like, “Hi! Hope you’re having a good day!” Paul must have been a bit Southern because he starts his letter to Timothy with a greeting of “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Actually, Paul begins each of his New Testament letters with a greeting, and every single one includes the same word - GRACE.
Grace – it’s my favorite word. (Well, next to God and Jesus.) Grace is like air. We can’t live without it. We have to have it, and there’s no way we can get it for ourselves. Grace must be given – that’s why it’s a gift. God’s gift. Grace is God giving us good things we don’t deserve. Mercy is God NOT giving us the bad things we DO deserve. We need both, and thankfully, our wonderful God specializes in sharing them with His children.
Grace is the theme of the Bible all the way from Genesis’ beginning creation to Revelation’s ending invitation. And grace is God’s theme in our life stories too. There are so many ways God lavishes His grace on us. Ultimate grace was given at the cross when Jesus died to give us life we don’t deserve. And each moment we find ourselves amazed by God’s everyday grace that fills our lives, gives us strength, and holds us close.
The word grace is first used in the Bible in the story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, Isaac’s mommy. Isaac’s old mommy. Isaac’s connvining-not-convinced mommy. Isaac’s chuckling-instead-of-trusting mommy. Isaac’s lying mommy. Oh yes, it’s all there. When Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah 65, God promised Abraham that one day they would have a son. Eleven years later, the cradle was still empty, so Sarah took matters into her own hands and suggested that Abraham try having a child by her maid. Well, that rendezvous produced a baby (and a bunch of problems) but not the promised blessing. So, thirteen years later, God appeared to Abraham and said that in a year Sarah would give birth to a son. I love how the Bible phrases what happened. “Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.” In other words, she was eavesdropping – big time!! (But who could blame her? It’s not every day the Lord shows up for lunch!) So Sarah heard and Sarah laughed. “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asked Abraham. “I did not laugh,” she lied through her teeth! “Yes, you did laugh,” was God’s reply. But His answer showed up a year later as the 90 year old Sarah and the 100 year old Abraham heard the beautiful first cries of their bouncy baby boy. (Who, by the way, God had pre-named Isaac which means “he laughs”!) Genesis 21:1 says it this way, “The Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and He did for Sarah what He had promised.”
That’s grace. And it’s all God. “The Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and He did for Sarah what He had promised.” What did Sarah do? Nothing. (OK, I know labor isn’t “nothing” but…) Really, Sarah did nothing – except get gifts she did not deserve poured into her life. God was gracious. He said it. He did it. He promised it. He kept His promise.
Actually, when you think about it, what did Sarah do? Nothing but distrust, scheme, doubt, and lie. And God still gave her baby Isaac. Why? Because that’s grace. Grace is not based on who we are but on who God is. Grace is not a reward for our goodness; it’s a result of God’s goodness.
Grace. It’s what made us His. It’s what makes us like Him. It’s what keeps us with Him. No wonder Paul starts all his letters with the desire for his friends to experience God’s grace! What wonder God desires to give us His grace to experience! Ah, but that’s what makes grace, well…GRACE!
I guess all this makes, “Hi! Hope you’re having a good day,” sound kind of weak!!
TIME FOR A LITTLE R&R
Recognize
What “good gifts” has God given you in the past few days? (Remember grace comes in all sorts of shape and sizes. God is a very “varied” giver!)
Respond
Gratitude is our answer to grace. Say a prayer, write a poem, compose a song, do something that praises God for those good gifts of grace in your life. (And don’t forget to say thanks to the person God used if He gave you grace through someone else!)
Everyday Grace
The warmth of the sun as a new day begins,
The sweet smell of rain, a child’s toothless grin,
The touch of a friend, the taste of a tear,
Beat a rhythm divine and cause me to hear...
Your everyday grace flowing down from Your throne;
You fill up my life. God, You’ve made me Your own.
You pour out Your love; You show me Your face,
As I live out each moment in Your everyday grace.
Your blood-stained cross and the empty grave
Knock me to my knees, Lift my hands in praise;
For You give me life and You hand me hope.
You call my name and You draw me close,
In Your everyday grace flowing down from Your throne;
You fill up my life. God, You’ve made me Your own.
You pour out Your love; You show me Your face,
As I live out each moment in Your everyday grace.
9/4/08
2 Timothy 1:2
"To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
How do you begin your notes or e-mails? I guess my Southern upbringing shines through in my correspondence because I find it difficult to just jump into business without first making a personal connection. Usually it’s something like, “Hi! Hope you’re having a good day!” Paul must have been a bit Southern because he starts his letter to Timothy with a greeting of “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Actually, Paul begins each of his New Testament letters with a greeting, and every single one includes the same word - GRACE.
Grace – it’s my favorite word. (Well, next to God and Jesus.) Grace is like air. We can’t live without it. We have to have it, and there’s no way we can get it for ourselves. Grace must be given – that’s why it’s a gift. God’s gift. Grace is God giving us good things we don’t deserve. Mercy is God NOT giving us the bad things we DO deserve. We need both, and thankfully, our wonderful God specializes in sharing them with His children.
Grace is the theme of the Bible all the way from Genesis’ beginning creation to Revelation’s ending invitation. And grace is God’s theme in our life stories too. There are so many ways God lavishes His grace on us. Ultimate grace was given at the cross when Jesus died to give us life we don’t deserve. And each moment we find ourselves amazed by God’s everyday grace that fills our lives, gives us strength, and holds us close.
The word grace is first used in the Bible in the story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, Isaac’s mommy. Isaac’s old mommy. Isaac’s connvining-not-convinced mommy. Isaac’s chuckling-instead-of-trusting mommy. Isaac’s lying mommy. Oh yes, it’s all there. When Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah 65, God promised Abraham that one day they would have a son. Eleven years later, the cradle was still empty, so Sarah took matters into her own hands and suggested that Abraham try having a child by her maid. Well, that rendezvous produced a baby (and a bunch of problems) but not the promised blessing. So, thirteen years later, God appeared to Abraham and said that in a year Sarah would give birth to a son. I love how the Bible phrases what happened. “Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.” In other words, she was eavesdropping – big time!! (But who could blame her? It’s not every day the Lord shows up for lunch!) So Sarah heard and Sarah laughed. “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asked Abraham. “I did not laugh,” she lied through her teeth! “Yes, you did laugh,” was God’s reply. But His answer showed up a year later as the 90 year old Sarah and the 100 year old Abraham heard the beautiful first cries of their bouncy baby boy. (Who, by the way, God had pre-named Isaac which means “he laughs”!) Genesis 21:1 says it this way, “The Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and He did for Sarah what He had promised.”
That’s grace. And it’s all God. “The Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and He did for Sarah what He had promised.” What did Sarah do? Nothing. (OK, I know labor isn’t “nothing” but…) Really, Sarah did nothing – except get gifts she did not deserve poured into her life. God was gracious. He said it. He did it. He promised it. He kept His promise.
Actually, when you think about it, what did Sarah do? Nothing but distrust, scheme, doubt, and lie. And God still gave her baby Isaac. Why? Because that’s grace. Grace is not based on who we are but on who God is. Grace is not a reward for our goodness; it’s a result of God’s goodness.
Grace. It’s what made us His. It’s what makes us like Him. It’s what keeps us with Him. No wonder Paul starts all his letters with the desire for his friends to experience God’s grace! What wonder God desires to give us His grace to experience! Ah, but that’s what makes grace, well…GRACE!
I guess all this makes, “Hi! Hope you’re having a good day,” sound kind of weak!!
TIME FOR A LITTLE R&R
Recognize
What “good gifts” has God given you in the past few days? (Remember grace comes in all sorts of shape and sizes. God is a very “varied” giver!)
Respond
Gratitude is our answer to grace. Say a prayer, write a poem, compose a song, do something that praises God for those good gifts of grace in your life. (And don’t forget to say thanks to the person God used if He gave you grace through someone else!)
Everyday Grace
The warmth of the sun as a new day begins,
The sweet smell of rain, a child’s toothless grin,
The touch of a friend, the taste of a tear,
Beat a rhythm divine and cause me to hear...
Your everyday grace flowing down from Your throne;
You fill up my life. God, You’ve made me Your own.
You pour out Your love; You show me Your face,
As I live out each moment in Your everyday grace.
Your blood-stained cross and the empty grave
Knock me to my knees, Lift my hands in praise;
For You give me life and You hand me hope.
You call my name and You draw me close,
In Your everyday grace flowing down from Your throne;
You fill up my life. God, You’ve made me Your own.
You pour out Your love; You show me Your face,
As I live out each moment in Your everyday grace.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
PAUL WHO?
Devotion 1 - 9/2/08
2 Timothy 1:1
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.”
Has anyone ever left a message on your phone saying, “It’s me! Call me back!” and you wondered who “me” was? (Ok, I know. Thankfully these days Caller ID eliminates such distress, but work with me, you know the feeling!) Well, our friend Paul, who is writing this letter/book of the Bible we call 2 Timothy, left no doubt in the reader’s mind who the author was! The first word he wrote is “Paul.” It wasn’t egocentric – that was the custom of the day. (And hey, it let people know if they really wanted to keep on reading or not! You can admit it; you automatically delete e-mails from certain people without even reading them!)
But it wasn’t Paul’s name that caught my eye. It was the description he gave of himself. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” That’s like saying, “It’s me – Paul - a special messenger of the Promised One - Jesus. I didn’t just decide to be this on my own. No, this is God’s desire, His wish. And it lines up with His guarantee that Jesus is life!”
Paul’s succinct autobiography clearly shows both his priority and his purpose in life. “I’m Paul – one sent by God to share about Jesus!” How would you describe yourself in just two lines? In twenty-one words? Think about it.
Who is your priority in life? What is your purpose? Do you know? Does it show? How we live loudly answers those important questions. We might wonder a bit about what our priorities and purpose currently are, but we know what they should be. God’s desire and design for us is the same as His was for Paul. He’s chosen us as His own and commissioned us to share His life. The incredible truth is that He gives us the opportunity to live out this relationship and this responsibility daily through our families, friends, jobs, and hobbies!
So today, as you meet and greet the people God allows to come your way, don’t leave them wondering, “Now who was that?” Let your love, joy, and peace clearly display who you are and whose you are – one chosen by God to share about Jesus!
TIME FOR A LITTLE R&R
Recognize – Take a moment to ponder the truth that God desires you. You are His “by
the will of God.” God wants you! His desire for you is not based on your
performance or your perfection but simply on His plan. Wow! Hallelu Yah!
(Which is shortcut Hebrew for Praise God!)
Respond – Think about your plans for today. How will you specifically show who you are
and whose you are in those opportunities and responsibilities?
2 Timothy 1:1
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.”
Has anyone ever left a message on your phone saying, “It’s me! Call me back!” and you wondered who “me” was? (Ok, I know. Thankfully these days Caller ID eliminates such distress, but work with me, you know the feeling!) Well, our friend Paul, who is writing this letter/book of the Bible we call 2 Timothy, left no doubt in the reader’s mind who the author was! The first word he wrote is “Paul.” It wasn’t egocentric – that was the custom of the day. (And hey, it let people know if they really wanted to keep on reading or not! You can admit it; you automatically delete e-mails from certain people without even reading them!)
But it wasn’t Paul’s name that caught my eye. It was the description he gave of himself. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” That’s like saying, “It’s me – Paul - a special messenger of the Promised One - Jesus. I didn’t just decide to be this on my own. No, this is God’s desire, His wish. And it lines up with His guarantee that Jesus is life!”
Paul’s succinct autobiography clearly shows both his priority and his purpose in life. “I’m Paul – one sent by God to share about Jesus!” How would you describe yourself in just two lines? In twenty-one words? Think about it.
Who is your priority in life? What is your purpose? Do you know? Does it show? How we live loudly answers those important questions. We might wonder a bit about what our priorities and purpose currently are, but we know what they should be. God’s desire and design for us is the same as His was for Paul. He’s chosen us as His own and commissioned us to share His life. The incredible truth is that He gives us the opportunity to live out this relationship and this responsibility daily through our families, friends, jobs, and hobbies!
So today, as you meet and greet the people God allows to come your way, don’t leave them wondering, “Now who was that?” Let your love, joy, and peace clearly display who you are and whose you are – one chosen by God to share about Jesus!
TIME FOR A LITTLE R&R
Recognize – Take a moment to ponder the truth that God desires you. You are His “by
the will of God.” God wants you! His desire for you is not based on your
performance or your perfection but simply on His plan. Wow! Hallelu Yah!
(Which is shortcut Hebrew for Praise God!)
Respond – Think about your plans for today. How will you specifically show who you are
and whose you are in those opportunities and responsibilities?
Monday, September 1, 2008
TRIUMPH! - A Winning Life In A Losing World Study 1
2 Timothy
(Tuesday September 2 Summary)
The Olympics have recently ended. This means we can finally get in bed at a decent hour, and actually have meals around the table again instead of the TV! But what fun they were! I found myself cheering, sometimes quite loudly, for the swimmers, the track stars, the gymnasts - passionately urging them to run faster, jump higher, or throw longer! I mean, really, who couldn’t help but cheer for Michael Phelps as he fought to win his eight races, or anxiously hope that Shawn Johnson would finally get her gold?!? And which of you didn’t fight back the tears as the weeping German weightlifter dedicated his victory to his wife, who died in a car accident a few months before Beijing?
Ah, the stories. Stories of enduring dreams and intense desires. Of devastating injuries and surprising comebacks. Of abject poverty and lavish affluence. Of opportunities seized and chances missed. Stories of tragedy. Stories of triumph. Stories that resonate within us and echo our own hopes, dreams, and fears. The stories of life.
And so here we are today. The stories of our lives as diverse as the stories of the many Olympic athletes. But just as they came together in a certain place at a specific time for the same purpose, so have we. They came to show off. We’ve done well to just show up! They came to be the best. We want to be our best, so we’ve come to get some help! Some help as we run this race of life.
This year we’re going to take a look at the book of 2 Timothy. We call it a book, but it’s really just a letter. A letter an old coach who was retiring wrote to his favorite athlete who had miles to go before his sleep! The wise coach knew his young protégé was frequently fearful, often weak, and in need of much encouragement and instruction. And so Paul, confined in the musty, dank cell of a Roman prison, penned these words to Timothy, who was ministering in Ephesus.
The verses in 2 Timothy are the last recorded words of Paul. He wrote this letter somewhere around 67 AD and was martyred only a short time later. Paul knew his time on earth was short. He knew his race was almost over. He knew he wouldn’t be there in person to offer help and support. So he wrote it down. I guess we could say that 2 Timothy is a condensed training manual from Paul to Timothy, now divinely passed on to us as Christ-followers. It’s a book about TRIUMPH – about living a winning life in a losing world.
But before we jump into the “How To,” let’s take a look at the “Who’s Who?” We have Paul – the fellow-runner and experienced coach. What a story lies behind his triumph! NBC would love to shoot a bio clip about him! Paul was born in the Tarsus, a rather distinguished city in southern Turkey, probably around the same time Jesus was born. His Hebrew name was Saul – Paul his Gentile (non-Jewish) name. Both have the same meaning – small. Maybe Paul was a preemie or just a wee little baby. Maybe his Mama (or his Daddy) simply liked the name! That we don’t know. What we do know is that they had big plans for their little boy. Paul’s father was a Pharisee – a member of the strictest, straightest, follow-all-the-rules-and-then-some group of Jews that were around. Little Paul would become one too. As a young boy he went to “elementary school” to memorize the Torah – the first five books of the Old Testament. And as all good lads his age, he learned a trade. Paul was taught to make tents out of goat’s hair cloth. He then headed off as a teenager to Jerusalem to study under the famous teacher Rabbi Gamaliel. Paul memorized the entire Old Testament and diligently studied not only what God had said but also what many others had said about what God had said and possibly exactly what God might have meant! Paul describes his own life at that time as zealous against what he thought was wrong and faultless in what he felt was right. (Philippians 3:6)
But everything changed as the clock neared noon one dusty day on the road to Damascus. A few years before man named Jesus had arrived on the scene. He had not been as educated as Paul was. He had not followed all the rules Paul obeyed. He had not taught all the things Paul had learned. But he had turned the world upside down. He said he was God’s Son – actually claiming to be God Himself. He said he was the Way, the Truth, the Life. That no one could come to God except through him. He said that God loved – loved so much that he gave. He gave himself as our sacrifice. He said that whoever believed would receive life. LIFE! Everlasting, never-ending, abundant life!
People had flocked to hear him. Some had even left everything to follow him! But not everyone had been fooled. No, maybe those unlearned commoners but not the members of Paul’s club. They weren’t fooled. They were furious. They tried to silence him with their threats, but he never stopped talking. They tried to trap him with their questions, but he turned the answers back on them. They fussed. They fumed. They listened and loathed. He kept right on healing, and teaching, and listening, and loving. Finally they had had enough. A greedy bribe. A garden betrayal. A sham of a trial. The shame of a crucifixion. And this Jesus was finally done with.
Or was he? Around Jerusalem there was talk. “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Some were claiming to have seen him in person. Saying that He was no longer in the grave but had come back to life victorious over sin and death. Proclaiming that he had gone back to heaven and had promised to return to take those who were his to be with him forever!! Now these were the ones healing, teaching, praying, praising. And people were listening. This could not be!
So they killed Stephen – his bold words of truth were more than they could stand. And Paul was there, giving his approval, keeping an eye on the coats of the ones who hurled the lies and cast the stones. He now knew his mission. These disciples must be destroyed. And he was the man for the job. He went from house to house, dragging off men and women and putting them in prison. The Christians ran for their lives – moving to new towns but still sharing the same message. Jesus is life!
Paul heard fugitives were daring to live in Damascus, a Syrian town about 130 miles north of Jerusalem. Armed with the authority of the Jewish high priest, he traveled the six day journey with venomous passion, “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”
He almost made it.
His own words say it best. “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth!’”
Paul had seen Jesus. But he couldn’t see anything else. He was blind. The man who with crazed ardor violently hauled Christians off to prison was now slowly led by his own trembling hand to a simple house on Straight Street.
For three days Paul ate nothing, drank nothing, saw nothing. Then he heard a voice, the apprehensive but obedient voice of a believer named Ananias. “Brother Saul, Jesus - who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me to you so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. God has chosen you to know his will and to see Jesus and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” (Acts 9:17, 22:14-16)
Paul stood up a changed man. His eyes were healed. His heart was whole. God’s grace captured and captivated him. And Paul never forgot. He lived out the next three decades of his life as a thank you to the One who mercifully had rescued him from eternal death and given him everlasting life. He began to share the truth of Jesus with anyone and everyone. He traveled to many cities in Turkey and Greece, sharing Jesus and starting churches. He supported himself by making tents out of goat’s hair cloth! (His dad probably told him that would come in handy one day!) The letters of encouragement and instruction he wrote to believers in cities like Corinth, Philippi, and Ephesus, and his correspondence with his friends Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, we treasure today in the New Testament. Luke, one of his traveling companions, recorded much of “Paul’s Excellent Adventure” in the book of Acts.
Paul’s life was great, but that doesn’t mean things were always good. He continually found himself at odds with Roman authorities and on the outs with the Jewish leaders. He spent many nights in dungeons and many days in danger. He was beaten with 39 lashes five different times and beaten with rods three times. He was stoned, shipwrecked, and snake-bitten. He spent a night and a day treading water in the ocean and many more traveling quickly to escape the current peril. Paul said he had been truly hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and afflicted. He had been cold, naked, abandoned, and burdened. But through the all tragedies and the triumphs, Paul said the best in this life could never compare with knowing Jesus and the worst in this life was worth it all.
And so as we begin 2 Timothy, we find our weary warrior interned in Rome, knowing that one day soon, his race on earth would be over, but fully confident that as he broke through that final finish line, he would run straight into the arms of his precious Savior. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
So where does this leave us and to what does this lead us? I’ll be honest, it leaves me saying, “Wow! I really do need to heed Paul’s word to follow his example as he followed Jesus.” It leaves me saying, “Whoa! Do I truly recognize the grace God has given me in Jesus and am I responding with a life of gratitude?’
And to what does this lead us? Hopefully to worship. To absolute praise for the One who somewhere along the journey of life - as we were dead-set focused on doing our own thing (good or bad) - stopped us in our tracks, called us by name, and made us His own.
To what else does this lead us? To devotion and desire. Devotion to God – passionately loving Him with all that we are and purposefully listening to Him through His word and His works. And to desire to love others with His love and to share with them His life.
It’s time to run. Unlike the Olympians, we didn’t have to succeed in the trials to make the team. Jesus qualified us on the cross. By grace He’s placed us on the right track, heading in the right direction. He surrounds us. He supports us. He strengthens us. And He says to us, “Run! I’ve already won the victory for you, so run your race in TRIUMPH!”
On your mark. Get set. Go!
(Tuesday September 2 Summary)
The Olympics have recently ended. This means we can finally get in bed at a decent hour, and actually have meals around the table again instead of the TV! But what fun they were! I found myself cheering, sometimes quite loudly, for the swimmers, the track stars, the gymnasts - passionately urging them to run faster, jump higher, or throw longer! I mean, really, who couldn’t help but cheer for Michael Phelps as he fought to win his eight races, or anxiously hope that Shawn Johnson would finally get her gold?!? And which of you didn’t fight back the tears as the weeping German weightlifter dedicated his victory to his wife, who died in a car accident a few months before Beijing?
Ah, the stories. Stories of enduring dreams and intense desires. Of devastating injuries and surprising comebacks. Of abject poverty and lavish affluence. Of opportunities seized and chances missed. Stories of tragedy. Stories of triumph. Stories that resonate within us and echo our own hopes, dreams, and fears. The stories of life.
And so here we are today. The stories of our lives as diverse as the stories of the many Olympic athletes. But just as they came together in a certain place at a specific time for the same purpose, so have we. They came to show off. We’ve done well to just show up! They came to be the best. We want to be our best, so we’ve come to get some help! Some help as we run this race of life.
This year we’re going to take a look at the book of 2 Timothy. We call it a book, but it’s really just a letter. A letter an old coach who was retiring wrote to his favorite athlete who had miles to go before his sleep! The wise coach knew his young protégé was frequently fearful, often weak, and in need of much encouragement and instruction. And so Paul, confined in the musty, dank cell of a Roman prison, penned these words to Timothy, who was ministering in Ephesus.
The verses in 2 Timothy are the last recorded words of Paul. He wrote this letter somewhere around 67 AD and was martyred only a short time later. Paul knew his time on earth was short. He knew his race was almost over. He knew he wouldn’t be there in person to offer help and support. So he wrote it down. I guess we could say that 2 Timothy is a condensed training manual from Paul to Timothy, now divinely passed on to us as Christ-followers. It’s a book about TRIUMPH – about living a winning life in a losing world.
But before we jump into the “How To,” let’s take a look at the “Who’s Who?” We have Paul – the fellow-runner and experienced coach. What a story lies behind his triumph! NBC would love to shoot a bio clip about him! Paul was born in the Tarsus, a rather distinguished city in southern Turkey, probably around the same time Jesus was born. His Hebrew name was Saul – Paul his Gentile (non-Jewish) name. Both have the same meaning – small. Maybe Paul was a preemie or just a wee little baby. Maybe his Mama (or his Daddy) simply liked the name! That we don’t know. What we do know is that they had big plans for their little boy. Paul’s father was a Pharisee – a member of the strictest, straightest, follow-all-the-rules-and-then-some group of Jews that were around. Little Paul would become one too. As a young boy he went to “elementary school” to memorize the Torah – the first five books of the Old Testament. And as all good lads his age, he learned a trade. Paul was taught to make tents out of goat’s hair cloth. He then headed off as a teenager to Jerusalem to study under the famous teacher Rabbi Gamaliel. Paul memorized the entire Old Testament and diligently studied not only what God had said but also what many others had said about what God had said and possibly exactly what God might have meant! Paul describes his own life at that time as zealous against what he thought was wrong and faultless in what he felt was right. (Philippians 3:6)
But everything changed as the clock neared noon one dusty day on the road to Damascus. A few years before man named Jesus had arrived on the scene. He had not been as educated as Paul was. He had not followed all the rules Paul obeyed. He had not taught all the things Paul had learned. But he had turned the world upside down. He said he was God’s Son – actually claiming to be God Himself. He said he was the Way, the Truth, the Life. That no one could come to God except through him. He said that God loved – loved so much that he gave. He gave himself as our sacrifice. He said that whoever believed would receive life. LIFE! Everlasting, never-ending, abundant life!
People had flocked to hear him. Some had even left everything to follow him! But not everyone had been fooled. No, maybe those unlearned commoners but not the members of Paul’s club. They weren’t fooled. They were furious. They tried to silence him with their threats, but he never stopped talking. They tried to trap him with their questions, but he turned the answers back on them. They fussed. They fumed. They listened and loathed. He kept right on healing, and teaching, and listening, and loving. Finally they had had enough. A greedy bribe. A garden betrayal. A sham of a trial. The shame of a crucifixion. And this Jesus was finally done with.
Or was he? Around Jerusalem there was talk. “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Some were claiming to have seen him in person. Saying that He was no longer in the grave but had come back to life victorious over sin and death. Proclaiming that he had gone back to heaven and had promised to return to take those who were his to be with him forever!! Now these were the ones healing, teaching, praying, praising. And people were listening. This could not be!
So they killed Stephen – his bold words of truth were more than they could stand. And Paul was there, giving his approval, keeping an eye on the coats of the ones who hurled the lies and cast the stones. He now knew his mission. These disciples must be destroyed. And he was the man for the job. He went from house to house, dragging off men and women and putting them in prison. The Christians ran for their lives – moving to new towns but still sharing the same message. Jesus is life!
Paul heard fugitives were daring to live in Damascus, a Syrian town about 130 miles north of Jerusalem. Armed with the authority of the Jewish high priest, he traveled the six day journey with venomous passion, “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”
He almost made it.
His own words say it best. “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth!’”
Paul had seen Jesus. But he couldn’t see anything else. He was blind. The man who with crazed ardor violently hauled Christians off to prison was now slowly led by his own trembling hand to a simple house on Straight Street.
For three days Paul ate nothing, drank nothing, saw nothing. Then he heard a voice, the apprehensive but obedient voice of a believer named Ananias. “Brother Saul, Jesus - who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me to you so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. God has chosen you to know his will and to see Jesus and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” (Acts 9:17, 22:14-16)
Paul stood up a changed man. His eyes were healed. His heart was whole. God’s grace captured and captivated him. And Paul never forgot. He lived out the next three decades of his life as a thank you to the One who mercifully had rescued him from eternal death and given him everlasting life. He began to share the truth of Jesus with anyone and everyone. He traveled to many cities in Turkey and Greece, sharing Jesus and starting churches. He supported himself by making tents out of goat’s hair cloth! (His dad probably told him that would come in handy one day!) The letters of encouragement and instruction he wrote to believers in cities like Corinth, Philippi, and Ephesus, and his correspondence with his friends Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, we treasure today in the New Testament. Luke, one of his traveling companions, recorded much of “Paul’s Excellent Adventure” in the book of Acts.
Paul’s life was great, but that doesn’t mean things were always good. He continually found himself at odds with Roman authorities and on the outs with the Jewish leaders. He spent many nights in dungeons and many days in danger. He was beaten with 39 lashes five different times and beaten with rods three times. He was stoned, shipwrecked, and snake-bitten. He spent a night and a day treading water in the ocean and many more traveling quickly to escape the current peril. Paul said he had been truly hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and afflicted. He had been cold, naked, abandoned, and burdened. But through the all tragedies and the triumphs, Paul said the best in this life could never compare with knowing Jesus and the worst in this life was worth it all.
And so as we begin 2 Timothy, we find our weary warrior interned in Rome, knowing that one day soon, his race on earth would be over, but fully confident that as he broke through that final finish line, he would run straight into the arms of his precious Savior. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
So where does this leave us and to what does this lead us? I’ll be honest, it leaves me saying, “Wow! I really do need to heed Paul’s word to follow his example as he followed Jesus.” It leaves me saying, “Whoa! Do I truly recognize the grace God has given me in Jesus and am I responding with a life of gratitude?’
And to what does this lead us? Hopefully to worship. To absolute praise for the One who somewhere along the journey of life - as we were dead-set focused on doing our own thing (good or bad) - stopped us in our tracks, called us by name, and made us His own.
To what else does this lead us? To devotion and desire. Devotion to God – passionately loving Him with all that we are and purposefully listening to Him through His word and His works. And to desire to love others with His love and to share with them His life.
It’s time to run. Unlike the Olympians, we didn’t have to succeed in the trials to make the team. Jesus qualified us on the cross. By grace He’s placed us on the right track, heading in the right direction. He surrounds us. He supports us. He strengthens us. And He says to us, “Run! I’ve already won the victory for you, so run your race in TRIUMPH!”
On your mark. Get set. Go!
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