God’s reality instead of my circumstance

2 Timothy 2:1-7 (NLT)

¹ 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.

I’m struck by how Paul’s perspective is so different from his situation.

Paul is in a prison – a truly awful pace in the first century, sometimes little more than a hole in the ground where prisoners only eat if a friend brings them food. And it seems he’s been abandoned by most of his friends (1:15-18, 4:10, 16). Yet Paul speaks from the perspective of God’s grace and rich generosity – to him (including by giving him Timothy as a “dear son” (2:1)) and to Timothy. From what looks like defeat, Paul tells Timothy to be strong in that grace.

This is probably the last letter Paul wrote. He’s been in prison before (see Philippians), but this time it seems certain this will be the end for him (4:6-7). Yet he sees that the good news of what God is doing to rescue humanity and the world goes well beyond his own life. He has passed the truths of the gospel on to Timothy, and now he tells Timothy to pass them on to others who will also be faithful witnesses. And many generations of faithful witnesses have passed them on to me. Now its my turn to be a faithful witness and to pass them on to others who will pass them to others …

Faced with what looks like catastrophically overwhelming barriers, Paul remains focussed on pushing through it all to please God, the one who enlisted him. He continues pushing on for the prize that God gives (4:8), running the race God’s way. He keeps investing his life for God’s harvest.

Paul, in a cold, dark, lonely hole of a prison facing death, doesn’t seem like a great role model. But the reality of God’s kingdom is so often radically different to what I see around me. Paul is exactly the role model for Timothy, and for me. And Jesus is an even better role model for living as God’s child (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Father, help me to see the world through your eyes. Give me your eyes to see your grace and generosity even when things around me say the opposite. Focus my mind on the things will please you. Give me the courage live and speak your gracious truth, especially when my world is going in a different direction.

Written by David Cornell