Five Ways to Grow Your Faith Àpẹrẹ

Day 4: Take a Risk

From the clues we get in Scripture, it seems unlikely that Timothy was a real go-getter. Paul needs to remind him that God “does not make us timid, but gives us power.” Paul even instructs the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:10-11), “When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you”!

Imagine, then, how Timothy might have felt when Paul charged him to “preach the word; . . . correct, rebuke and encourage. . . . Endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist” (see 2 Timothy 4). “Uh, Paul, could I just, like, stay behind and work in the office?”

But Paul knew that to grow in faith, Timothy would need to be stretched—to go beyond where he had ever gone, to be given tasks that he never could have completed in his own strength. And so do we, even if it’s just asking a neighbor over for coffee or (gulp!) teaching the middle school Sunday school class.

If we want to grow in faith, we’ll need to step out and do things that are, well, hard. Uncomfortable. Beyond what we could do on our own. That’s when we will see God step in and work in us and through us. And the next time He gives us a challenge, we will be more ready to take it on.

Wrapping Up: Which Scripture in this day’s reading most speaks to your heart? Write it out and take a few more minutes to reflect on and write about how it applies to your life today.