2 Timothy 2 Devotional

Held by His Faithfulness

“You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”2 Timothy 2:1 (BSB)

Paul's charge in 2 Timothy 2 begins in an unexpected place. Before telling Timothy to work hard, he tells him to find his strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2:1). Then come pictures of steady endurance: a soldier intent on pleasing his commander, an athlete who competes by the rules, a farmer who works hard before the harvest (2:3-6). Faithfulness takes effort.

But Paul keeps pointing Timothy away from himself. He tells him to keep the risen Jesus in mind (2:8). Paul is chained like a criminal, yet God's word remains free (2:9). Then comes a trustworthy saying. Those who share Christ's death will share his life, and those who endure will reign with him. Even when his people prove faithless, he stays true, because he cannot go back on who he is (2:11-13). The foundation is God's, and the Lord knows his own (2:19). Endurance rests on Christ's faithfulness, not on the strength of your own.

To think about: Where do you feel your faithfulness wavering, and how does Christ's unchanging faithfulness steady you?