2 Timothy 1

Bible Passage:  2 Timothy 1

Words only get their real meaning within a certain context.

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he was actually waiting for death—waiting to be martyred for the sake of the gospel. Yet, he was able to give thanks to God from his heart. Yes, He even continued to encourage Timothy to keep serving the Lord amidst persecutions and heresies.  How admirable!

What was Paul’s secret?

“…nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed…”  (2 Tim 1:12)

“…our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (2 Tim 1:10)

Paul knew that the One he believed in was the Almighty God, Who had prepared eternal life for him. Such was his faith; such was his hope; such was the power that sustained him in his physical suffering.

What about us today? Do we know whom we have believed in? Do we have peace, hope and, subsequently, confidence whenever we face hardships in life and in our service to the Lord? Will we be able to face death with calmness and joyful expectancy?

Young Timothy must have been very discouraged as he saw heresies causing chaos in the church, and faithful workers like Paul being persecuted, arrested and martyred.

But Paul kept reminding him of his commission to preach the gospel and to pastor the flock. He encouraged him to rely on the power of Jesus Christ to fulfill his commission; for Paul knew very well: the Holy Spirit is our only source of courage and power; the Spirit helps us to endure sufferings for the gospel, to serve God continually and to preserve a pure and sincere faith.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”   (2 Tim 1:7)

Quite often we are afraid to stand out as Christians by holding on to biblical values, or we are afraid to preach the gospel to the people around us. We are afraid to face rejection or to loose face and acceptance among our friends and colleagues. In short, we are afraid to suffer for Christ’s sake.

Whenever I fall back into this trap of fear, the above verse encourages me a lot. It always reminds me to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer to combat my fears. It always reminds me of Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.

We often imagine Jesus as the boldest person in the world, but in fact, He too was afraid when faced with the impending suffering on the cross. Yet, in the end, Jesus Christ overcame His fear through the power of the Holy Spirit…

“Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” (Luke 22:43)

… and that was His triumph.  Will we triumph too?