What Matters Most (The Book of 2 Timothy)Sample

REFLECT

The phone rang at 12:35 am and my friend listened as her husband passed on the unbelievable news that their son, a United States Naval Academy graduate and Navy lieutenant, had shot and killed his wife's ex-husband. Carol Kent is a best-selling Christian author and speaker and she wondered whether anyone would ever want her, the mother of a murderer, to speak at their church again. But God has taken the most crushing circumstances and used them for good, as Carol explains in her book, “When I Lay My Isaac Down.”

Verses 8-12 of 2 Timothy contain Paul’s encouragement to Timothy not to be ashamed of Paul’s imprisonment. He longs for Timothy to understand that there is never a reason to feel guilty or shameful about knowing Jesus and that his full trust is in God’s promises, especially through suffering.

When suffering invites itself into your life, hold on to the promises of God. He can be trusted to guard your life as he laid his son’s life down for you.

PRAY

Lord Jesus, shame and guilt can play tricks on my mind. Help me trust in you alone; thank you for grace to remember that suffering is temporary, and your love lasts forever. Amen.

CHAT

Which is hardest for you to bear: guilt, shame, or suffering? How does today’s passage help you understand that suffering is part of living in this world and Christians are not exempt?