Many people have been embarrassed about being a Christian in our culture, especially in a work place or home where Christianity is ridiculed or shunned. As with Paul the Apostle, our Lord wants us to be bold in our faith and to be able to stand with the same confidence as Paul. So how does one over come shame? How did Paul do it? Let me first say it is completely the work of the Lord in us (Philippians 2:13), and not us alone. Here are some things we see …
Have you ever been ashamed of Jesus? His gospel? Suffering in the name of Christ? This is what Timothy was facing in his life, while seeing the toll and cost that it takes to be a Christian in the midst of trials. Paul, being imprisoned and facing death for the preaching and teaching of the Gospel encourages Timothy (who was in some danger of shrinking back from his calling) not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Just what is involved in the testimony of our Lord that Timothy …
Remember from last week, at the time this epistle was written to Timothy to encourage him. Paul was in prison awaiting the sentence of death for preaching the gospel, so he writes to Timothy reminding Timothy that he was constantly in prayer for him. Where did the desire to see Timothy come from in Paul?
How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey my mouth.” (Psalm 119:103)
This book seeks to help us to worship God. Of the sixty-six books in the Bible, the book of Psalms is given us especially for this purpose. The other books are historical, or doctrinal, or practical. But the Psalms take us into the inner sanctuary of God’s holy presence, to enjoy the blessedness of fellowship with Him. It is a book of devotions inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Would you each morning truly meet God truly …
As we continue through (2 Timothy) we come to the second point. That is, that Grace comes from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. So what is grace? Many people have different ways of defining such a word.
In the Scriptures – God’s grace is described as…..
God does not owe us …
I thought today we could start an adventure through (2 Timothy) in our Daily Devotions. I hope it will be encouraging for each of you as we work our way through this great epistle. Ok let’s get started. In Paul’s opening words to Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy who his epistle is really from. Notice, just who Paul gives credit to, (1:2)….Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. It is in these words where Timothy (and us) are reminded that we share in the same …
“OH, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)
This Psalm is wholly devoted to the praise of God’s mercy. In each of the twenty-six verses of (Psalm 107), we have the expression: “His mercy endures forever.” The Psalmist was full of this glad thought. Our hearts too should be filled with the blessed assurance. The everlasting, unchangeable mercy of God is cause for unceasing praise and thanksgiving. Let us read what is said about God’s mercy in the well known Psalm, (Psalm …
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! No matter how bad things are around you, you can always rejoice in the Lord. Why? Because God is always good even when things seem bad. We can look beyond the temporary problems of life and focus on the Eternal God and His goodness. We can rejoice that God loves us and that we are redeemed by His blood. If you only rejoice when you feel good and circumstances warrant it, you may never rejoice much. But you will miss …
Is the cost of discipleship worth it? I believe so. Consider…….
2. Future blessings
Continuing with the topic of Disciple making from last week, when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus Christ…….
