Day 296: 2 Timothy 2:1-21

“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 ESV

Limits are frustrating. They are a constant reminder of what we CANNOT do. You cannot go without sleep for 48 hours and function well. You cannot refuse to drink water for over three days and survive. You cannot, in our present world, go a day without making a mistake.

Paul's limit toward the end of his life was literally being incarcerated. No more wild tangles with the beasts in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32). No more sailing to contend with those in Corinth (Acts 18). All he had were his friends in Rome to keep him alive and a Scribe to write down letters on his behalf.

Paul became a Christian in AD 33 or 34 and was killed around AD 64 at the order of Nero himself. For the last seven years of his life, he was in chains. What would happen after the greatest missionary force in Christian history was gone?

Churches continued to grow, and the foundation we are standing on today was being laid. How was this possible with such a premature departure from one of our greatest leaders?

God has persisted throughout history in using limited people through His unlimited power that is sourced by the Bible we read and lean on today. You and I are still a part of this today. Don’t let your limits try and tell you what you can't do. Allow God to show you what He can do through you.

Day 295: 2 Timothy 1:1-18

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.” - 2 Timothy 1:5-6 NLT

I think many times we often downplay the significance of simple, daily interactions and what God can set in motion as a result of them.

Do you think Grandma Lois knew what would become of Timothy as she prayed over him while changing his diapers? Do you think Momma Eunice knew of her son's future when she had to discipline him as a pre-teen or make him attend worship (at someone's home) when he didn't want to?

Probably not. Yet these women invested in Timothy's life, and that investment compounded into a genuine, exponential faith. The word genuine (anypokritos) can also be translated as without hypocrisy. This kind of faith is only reproduced by consistently seeing other Christians who are the real deal.

By the time Paul arrived on the scene, his job was relatively easy with Timothy. He was laying his hands on a young man who was readied by strong women of faith. From this foundation, Paul was now able to equip and encourage Timothy into a great leader and successor.

Donald Guthrie said it well as he wrote, ”The apostle was not only deeply conscious of the powerful home influences which had shaped his own career, but was impressed by the saintly atmosphere of Timothy’s home.”

This naturally turns itself to us. How are we helping to raise up the next generation of Christian leaders? It isn’t as complicated as you may think, but it does require genuine and consistent faith in Jesus. It is also going to take a lot of patience. Are you up for it?

Day 294: 1 Timothy 6:1-21

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” - ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Knofel Staton insightfully wrote, “Someone has said that the wisest investors are those who invest in what outlasts life. Investing in kingdom work outlasts life on earth.”

What are your financial goals? I recently saw an article that was saying that most of us will need around a million dollars in retirement to live comfortably for the (estimated) final 29 years of our lives. Do we really think that having this kind of money saved will bring us the security we are looking for in this life?

The hunger for the acquisition of wealth seems to be a trap. Once we acquire it, we crave more; we set another goal. Trusting in money is like drinking saltwater. It doesn’t satisfy, and it only intensifies our thirst.

John 7:37-38 (ESV) records that, “Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Trusting Jesus deeply satisfies in a way that money never can.

Give generously. Realize your role as a steward, not an owner.

Let God show you the right way to think about money. It leads to freedom and reliability found nowhere else in this world.

Day 293: 1 Timothy 5:1-25

“Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.” - 1 Timothy 5:24-25

It is so wild to see some of the things people post on social media, even when their names are attached to it. There’s something about firing off a comment or a hateful email to someone that makes it feel like it's being done in anonymity.

As we see in these two verses, nothing is actually being done in anonymity. God is paying attention to everything, both heroic and horrific.

Solomon wrote this in Proverbs 15:3: "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."

So whatever evil you've left unconfessed and has yet to be discovered by someone else has actually already been seen by your Creator. It is time to come boldly to the throne of grace and to find help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16). It is time to receive healing from confession (James 5:16).

Have you also done something good that has gone unnoticed? God knows and cares. He sees you. In Him, there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

Ending with this quote from Michael Moss is so helpful:  After his brief digression with personal advice for Timothy, Paul returns to the matter of sins of elders. He first notes that ‘the sins of some’ are so clear they cannot be missed. Their sins race ahead and reach “the place of the judgment ahead of them. On the other hand, there are others whose sins are not as evident. Only later on do their sins become clear.

May this motivate us to, by the Holy Spirit, live lives of integrity today!

Day 292: 1 Timothy 4:1-16

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” - 1 Timothy‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Being young and unproven is not a disadvantage; it’s an opportunity.

The word used in this verse for youth can describe anyone up to the age of 40. So many young people (under 40) say, “I can’t wait till I’m older and people take me more seriously.” In contrast, so many older people (over 40) say, “I wish I were younger. I need a do-over. I would use my energy differently (see verse 7).”

Donald Gutherie gives us some great insight into the words used in this verse:  The first two, speech and life (i.e., manner of life, or behaviour) apply to Timothy’s public life, while the other three are concerned with inner qualities (love, faith and purity) which nevertheless have a public manifestation.

Our public lives will always be driven by our private lives and not the other way around.  Young or old, let’s change how we use our time and energy. God only gives us so much. Once we use it, we aren’t getting it back.

One more thought. If you are young, your goal isn’t to prove yourself. Instead, your objective should be, like Timothy, to “save both yourself and your hearers.” All of this temporary life is in preparation for our eternal one.

May we not neglect our gifts. Instead, let’s use them for God’s glory.

Day 291: 1 Timothy 3:1-16

“He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? ... Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.” - ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:4-5, 12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Amid all these qualifications for elders and deacons (lead servants of the church), we see these descriptions of their home lives toward the end of each list.

A real test of any leader is how they treat their family and what they act like in their safest space. Do we treat everyone at work and school with kindness but disrespect the ones who seemingly are “stuck with us?”

The word for manage is proistēmi, and Jesus used a version of this word when he said in Luke 22:26: “Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.”

So to manage your family is to serve them. It is to guide them to Jesus with your words and your life. No days off. No excuses.

Have you not been given a good example of this at home or in the church? We need you to set a new legacy for future generations. It is time for us to set a standard for what it looks like to humbly serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

May we be the kind of leaders that others actually want to follow.

Day 290: 1 Timothy 2:1-15

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” - 1 Timothy 2:12 ESV

I was in one of our Life Groups a few years back and heard one of our female students say, "I don't like this" when reacting to this passage. I have to agree with her. When I only look at the words on the page (without context), it bothers me as well.

Is the local church supposed to have a hard patriarchy where the women are second-class members? This was certainly true in first-century Jewish and Greek culture. William Barclay wrote, "The respectable Greek woman led a very confined life. She lived in her own quarters into which no one but her husband came. She did not even appear at meals."

In light of Galatians 3:28 (check it out), we can't imagine this is what Paul had in mind when he said "quiet." There has to be something more cultural (not intercultural) happening in the local context as we read this 1 Timothy passage.

From Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) to Philip's four daughters (Acts 21:9) to Junia the missionary (Romans 16:7) to Priscilla who helped teach Apollos (Acts 18:26) to Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:46-55) to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) -- we see that women were not silent. We have been the better for it. Paul, in another place, gives instructions on how women were supposed to prophesy in the church services (see 1 Corinthians 11:5).

Everyone in the body of Christ has a role to play (Ephesians 4:16). This does not undermine the role of men in the church. On the contrary, when women live their lives in faith, love, holiness, and self-control, everyone in the church benefits (I pray these four over my daughter every day).

So this passage doesn't oppress women; it instead gives them a seat at the table.

Men are still supposed to be the lead servants in the marriage relationship (see Ephesians 5:21-33) and in local church leadership (see our reading for tomorrow), but we are equal in value, both in the church, our homes and even in culture.

Day 289: 1 Timothy 1:1-20

“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” - ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Paul starts this first letter to his protege, Timothy, in the most interesting way. He warns him of false teachers and how he should not get sucked into their arguments. The goal of his command was not to win a fight. Instead, the objective was love.

One of the words that will keep coming up in 1 Timothy is the word conscience (used 4X). Paul includes it here in between a pure heart and a sincere faith. It is important!

Eugene Nida defines conscience (syneidēsis) as the psychological faculty which can distinguish between right and wrong.

I cannot think of a more relevant word for our world today and what we see missing so often. So many people do not know the difference between right and wrong. They make our conscience something subjective to our circumstances, feelings, and opinions of others. I mean, all you have to do is compare the list Paul gives in verses 9-10.

Yet God created our conscience to help us know right from wrong, and the Holy Spirit heightens this sensitivity (see John 16:8). This gives us the definition of what truth sounds like.

Felt convicted lately? Don’t dismiss it. Instead, confess it. Our walking in freedom from sin is what motivated Jesus to die on the cross.

Day 288: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

“Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: Whoever does not work should not eat either." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10 NASB

”Labour is the law of God; idleness is the parent of many crimes and is productive of misery.” - H.D.M. Spence

Much is said in the local church (and in the New Testament) about not relying on our own working but on the working of God. This is true for our salvation. Look no further than Galatians 2:20.

Yet here we see that the Thessalonian church had a rampant problem of idleness. The economy at this time was to the point where those with a skill or trade were forced to become day laborers to make ends meet. It is likely that some were free-loading off others in the church to avoid common, hard work. We saw in 1-2 Corinthians this was not something Paul avoided. He often spent time as a common tent-making day laborer (see Acts 18:3).

This may lead us to this question: "What work would we be unwilling to do to ensure that we, and our families, will be provided for?"

Any kind of work will take a great amount of humility and grit to carry it out consistently, even if we are doing something that we love. May we, as Christians, be known as the hardest-working people around. May we be known for our tenacity, honesty, and reliability.

May what was said about Daniel be said of us:  “He was faithful, responsible, and completely trustworthy.” - Daniel 6:4 NLT

Day 287: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” - ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Much is said of this “man of lawlessness” or “Antichrist” in the book of Revelation. After reading the verse above (and all of our passage today), my mind went immediately to Revelation 19:11-21. The scene is set and pictures Jesus riding on a white horse, exalted in power. His blood-drenched robe is leaving a trail of white (see verse 14). Jesus even seems to have a tattoo to remind us of who He is (see verse 16).

The battle is set. Armies face off against Jesus. Yet the clash is over before it begins and ends with the Beast and the False Prophet being tossed into the lake of fire.

Jesus never loses.

The Antichrist will be a very convincing counterfeit at the end of time. He will lead many away from faith in Jesus. Yet all King Jesus needs are His words to win a great victory.

False gospels always feed on panic (fear) and will exalt individuals over the truth found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Which are you following today?

“Christ will in the meantime, by the rays which he will emit previously to his advent, put to flight the darkness in which Antichrist will reign, just as the sun, before he is seen by us, chases away the darkness of the night by the pouring forth of his rays.” - John Calvin