Paul starts out by greeting Timothy and declaring that he is the one who wrote the letter in the name of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Paul first tells Timothy how appreciative he is to know Timothy. He says he thanks God for Timothy in his prayers. Even beyond that, Paul says that he prays God will allow him to see Timothy again soon because that would make him happy. He remembers Timothy as a man of great faith, and he posses the same faith as his mother and grandmother. He urges Timothy to stay strong because within us dwells a Spirit of love and ferocity and power not a timid spirit. Furthermore, Paul says not to be ashamed of Jesus or even Paul as a prisoner because everyone who truly follows Jesus will experience suffering. Jesus of course was always rejected and eventually murdered in one of the most gruesome ways historically known. Paul suffered many times in prison for continuing Jesus' teachings. He tells us here that it's not an easy life to spread the gospel, and we all as believers are called to share our faith. We will be ridiculed and made fun of and rejected but if we stay strong in our faith, a wonderful, everlasting reward awaits us. When Jesus calls us to do something, it is not because He finds virtue in our works but because there is virtue in His plans for us. Why should we question God or be ashamed of Him when He sent His Son to die on the cross so that death could no longer hold us back from God? He made death into life but we are too afraid of humiliation to tell others about Him. We should all be ashamed of ourselves because we all at one time or another have backed down from sharing the Gospel. Paul writes that many people in Asia turned away from him, and in our lives people will turn away from us because of what we believe. But he writes that a friend sought him out while he was imprisoned in Rome. True friends through Christ are the truest friends that a person can have.
No comments:
Post a Comment