If you've even been tempted by discouragement or felt like your efforts were all for nothing, this TFTD is for you! Paul's second letter written to his 'son in the faith,' Timothy, was penned when he was older, near the end of his life, while he was a prisoner of Rome for his work in the service of Jesus Christ. The overall tone is one of deep sorrow, but not defeat. After all he had done in the service of the Lord, he was in the worst prison in Rome - these jails were underground cells of cramped, miserable conditions. In addition to his physical misery, he was abandoned by many of his friends who were even embarrassed to mention his name. It is hard to begin to imagine the kinds of temptations that the evil one hurled at the old preacher in the middle of the night. "You wasted your life!" "Nobody cares what you sacrificed. They're ashamed of you." "This is how God treats those who serve Him? You expect others to serve Him, too?" If you think I'm wide of the mark, read between the lines of his letter. He is not only talking to Timothy, he's encouraging himself in the Lord.
He writes: "You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up ... Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse. But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed...." (2 Timothy 3:10-14, The Message)
May I loosely paraphrase it? "Hey, Tim - brace yourself. Things often go from bad to worse because evil is real and in constant opposition to good and God!" That's not exactly what we like to hear, is it? We want promises of better tomorrow's and blue skies. We want guarantees that the good guys finish out front, that good triumphs over evil -- but, in this world, on this side of eternity, that's simply not always what happens. This world is sold into the slavery of disobedience to God. Lies sell much more easily than the Truth. Slick talkers who do not concern themselves with the well-being of those that they teach will almost always gain larger audiences than those who cry out for steady, faithful, God-centered living. Those willing to exercise the greatest brutality often end up in charge - for a while, anyway. It was that kind of world that Paul worked in, tirelessly proclaiming the love of God, the possibility of becoming a saint, a light in the vast darkness. And, there in the dungeon, it appeared that evil had won!
Don't get the wrong idea. Paul wasn't giving up, nor was he admitting defeat! He was just being honest, brutally so, about the high price of resisting evil with the Good News of Christ. He had always proclaimed the Resurrection and set his hope ultimately in eternity. Remember he once wrote - "If only for this life we have hope, we are of all men most miserable.... but Christ has risen from the dead." In other words, it isn't over when they put the lid on our coffin! Now, weeks before the Romans would kill him, Paul writes to his son in the Lord:
"I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple. You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages.
But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. You take over.
I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:1-8, The Message)
Wow! That's quite a finish, isn't it? Yes, Demas had run off, abandoning his faith for love of the world. Everyone he counted on had left him to stand alone before the courts. Some man named, Alexander, the metalworker, and what he had done to Paul is now lost to history. Perhaps this man had been the source of trumped up charges that landed Paul in prison. But the preacher marks as a "man who did me much harm. May the Lord repay him!" But, the old man was not ashamed, afraid, or in despair. He was confident that at the end of this race, there was a Judge whose reward would more than compensate him for all he had invested in the Kingdom of God.
I don't think I'm writing to anybody in a literal dungeon, but I'm sure some of you are tired, maybe even beat up by life. Perhaps in your life, too, the bad guys appear to be ahead and the demons are whispering - "just quit being a fool and take what's coming to you." Keep your eyes on that Heavenly finish line, Believer. And you, too, will be able to claim the assurance that Paul flung in the face of his accuser's, detractors, and even the demons of Hell - "I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. "
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Lord, I whine far too often about the inconveniences of my life.
Forgive me.
I tend to think of discomfort as though it were real pain.
I look for smooth roads, quick fixes, and approval from the world around me.
Take me deeper in You! Lead to a commitment to the Truth,
to be so much in love with You, that inconvenience, discomfort, and yes -
even true suffering becomes as nothing compared with knowing You.
Let me be full of the beauty and character of Jesus -
as much in the tough times as when every thing is flowing my way.
And, Lord, steady me with the promise of Eternal Life
that awaits when the battle is over.
In Jesus' name I pray this... and for the glory of God.
Amen.
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