The Apostle Paul knew more than anyone about trouble times. Paul was in chains in a prison, yet he feels no disgrace. Suffering for the Lord is not, for Paul, a sign of failure or disgrace, but an opportunity to see the Power of God at work. 

2 Timothy it is good to read this entire book. The Spirit of The Lord doesn’t make cowards out of us, Paul conveys, The Spirit gives us power, love and self-control.

There is no cause to be ashamed of The Gospel Message. However Paul is like us all, he can feel alone. It feels as the point in time, that he was writing the second letter to Timothy, everyone had turned against him. Paul also had strong friends like Onesiphorus, who was a friend from Ephesus, who cheered Paul on and was not ashamed.

With all that is happening to Paul and to the church at the time. Timothy is urged to be strong. There are some images used about being strong, like a solider who is battle trained, like an athlete who is disciplined trained, and like a farmer prepared to work hard from early in the day.

The message is for us all, with the emphasis on strong, focused faith. we may know our scripture like prose, but we are to know them as life giving, that no matter what we go through, we will have focused faith in Whom we have been called.

And as The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8 verse 31 to 38;subtitled “the Believer’s Triumph’, He and wants us to be persuaded too.

Verses 38 and 39;

V 38: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,’

V 39 “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus Our Lord.”

Troubling times will come, but our faith must be fully persuaded that, Our Lord and Our Friend will see us through, because he has also promised as Paul knew and understood, Hebrews 13 verse 5:

“I {Jesus} will never leave you or forsake you.”

The Christian life is one of growing, growing through all circumstances, with the help of The Creator of the universe, Our Lord, Our Redeemer and Our Friend. He is always there for us.

God Bless.

O F J