QTVOTD: You don’t need to win the race…just endure it…

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:6-7 -> me: Here at the end of Paul’s letter to Timothy, he is heralding  his own end.  However, even in his impending death he is still worshiping through sacrifice and the Greek word used for Departure is one speaking of a release like a soldier being released of his duties and is now packing up his tent and moving on to being unrestricted. I hope that I can be focused in saying I have fought the good fight. Notice Paul doesn’t say he won the race. He was content to have stayed true to his course; the one the Lord set before him. Kept the faith; he stay true to his love of Christ and belief of what God had him there to do; and the hope of what was to come…the use of that releasing word->departure.

QTVOTD: Stay calm…steady as you go…

“As for you, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5 -> me: Today Paul takes a turn to tell Timothy about what he will witness in people’s lack of stomach for the gospel.  Paul says that these people will actually seek out teachers that preach to them what they ears want hear.  If I try to apply this to today, it would be the believer who feels that the gospel and God’s Truth is not in line with the culture of today…so they seek out a church and pastors who will preach progressive unbiblical ideologies that conform better to the societal norms of the day.  I can easily think of multiple supposedly Christian churches that fall into this bucket.  God’s word is inerrant; you cannot believe part of the bible without believing the whole…and you cannot say that something God says to be true about His character in biblical times is not true about Him today.  Then we come to Paul’s instruction to Timothy –> Stay CALM, stay in the TRUTH, stay deliberately FOCUSED on what you have been taught and know to be true.   Weather the hardships and keep trudging along with consistency.  I think what Paul was telling Timothy was to keep his hand to the plow and don’t look back until his ministry was complete.  If I look at where God has me today in this time and place, this teaching is directly relevant.  Stay calm, stay in the truth, and stay focused on eternity.  The HOPE of my Christ’s return is before me!