Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 | Author: Chris
Today we begin 2 Timothy, which is Paul’s second letter to this young pastor, Timothy. Paul is writing this letter from Prison, as he is facing the final moments of his life on earth. May we remember this letter is addressing specific issues Timothy is facing. It’s amazing what happens to our reading of Scripture when we start reading it in it’s context. After thinking through the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and the H (How), what are some of the issues you think Paul was addressing?
There are MANY parallels to these situations today. Do you see them?
Category: Daily Scripture Reading
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Monday, 24. May 2010
This chapter is really an encouragement for Timothy. Paul is encouraging and admonishing Timothy to keep preaching and using his gifts.
In this situation with Paul being in prison you would think that he is the one in need of encouragement yet Paul is able to encourage others even from his chains. That is because Paul does not live by sight but by faith, the circumstances in his life don’t have any negative impact on his faith, because he says in verse 12: “I know whom I have believed in”. His faith is in Christ and is outside of the realm of anything in this world.
Monday, 24. May 2010
It sounds like Timothy had gotten weak in the faith. Paul tells him to rekindle it and not to be shy. So I guess when I’m shy maybe I should ask… is my faith weak? Is that why I’m shy? Maybe there are other reasons but that’s worth examining.
Monday, 24. May 2010
Once again Paul inserts the Good News. Just like in 1 Timothy 1, it finds its way into just about everything Paul touches.
Verses 7-10 are neat. Paul seems to be ahead of his time (pun intended), thinking of time itself as ‘beginning’ (at least as the NIV translates it). Paul understood that God existed in the infinite past, and knew everything that would happen IN time ‘before’ He made it.
In other words, He knew who would be included in Christ for eternal life before Jesus actually came. This kind of stuff is a good defense for the Scripture. We have deep Philosophical concepts here, things that support that the Biblical writers were not ignorant boneheads making up mythology.
It also develops the belief that Jesus and His death and resurrection are truly the centerpieces of creation. Our salvation exists in relationship to Jesus and this Gospel, even before Jesus became a Man and this Gospel occurred in time.