Friday Devo
Scripture Reading:
2 Timothy 2:1-7
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
2:2 what you have heard from me. Throughout this letter, Paul emphasizes the message Timothy has received from him (see 1:13; 2:8). As Paul faces death, he encourages Timothy to pass the gospel on to faithful men who will in turn teach others, so that the gospel is preserved for coming generations.
2:4–6 Using three analogies, Paul sets forth the call to service and suffering. Verse 4 calls for single-minded desire to please God. Verse 5 reiterates that one must obey God’s rules in order to succeed. Verse 6 is the least clear but seems to encourage hard work by holding out the promise of blessing.
2:4 This verse has at times been misinterpreted as a call away from “secular,” civilian pursuits. The Bible, however, does not allow Christians to separate life into distinct realms, “spiritual” and “secular.” All of life is to be lived spiritually, in obedience to the Spirit according to the Word of God. Paul does not see secular activities as being out of bounds but is warning Timothy not to allow anything (even perhaps things that could be considered “spiritual”) to distract him from his task.
2:7 Paul exhorts Timothy to make the effort to think and meditate on what Paul has written; as he does so, God will give him understanding in everything about which Paul has instructed him. The believer’s efforts and God’s empowering work together.
2:4–6 Using three analogies, Paul sets forth the call to service and suffering. Verse 4 calls for single-minded desire to please God. Verse 5 reiterates that one must obey God’s rules in order to succeed. Verse 6 is the least clear but seems to encourage hard work by holding out the promise of blessing.
2:4 This verse has at times been misinterpreted as a call away from “secular,” civilian pursuits. The Bible, however, does not allow Christians to separate life into distinct realms, “spiritual” and “secular.” All of life is to be lived spiritually, in obedience to the Spirit according to the Word of God. Paul does not see secular activities as being out of bounds but is warning Timothy not to allow anything (even perhaps things that could be considered “spiritual”) to distract him from his task.
2:7 Paul exhorts Timothy to make the effort to think and meditate on what Paul has written; as he does so, God will give him understanding in everything about which Paul has instructed him. The believer’s efforts and God’s empowering work together.
Study Questions:
- Timothy was a disciple of Paul. Paul was his mentor. He did everything he could to train up Timothy to carry on the work of the Gospel and to encourage him and grow him. Disciples make disciples. The truth is, if we want to grow in our relationship with Jesus, we need this same thing in our lives. Not only do we need someone further along in the journey that intentionally pours into us, we need someone that we pour into as well. Do you have these kinds of intentional relationships in YOUR life? If not, who could you ask to mentor you? Who could you be intentional with and pour into? Ask God to reveal these relationships to you and then make it happen!
- Paul wasn't sugar-coating it in this letter to Timothy. He was bluntly telling him that it was going to be tough. It wasn't a matter of IF there would be suffering... there definitely WOULD be. And instead of telling him to pray it away, he tells Timothy to do what a good soldier does... endure it. Paul clearly believed that the message of the Gospel was worth suffering for. The overall mission of God was worth whatever persecution might come his way. Would you be willing to suffer for the message of the Gospel? What is your level of resolve? How committed to the mission are you?
Pray:
- That you would be a disciple that makes disciples.
- That you would be committed to the mission of God.
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