Scripture

Because I preached this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal.

Observation

The Good News is that Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead. Because Paul preaches this Good News, he is chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.

If we died with Christ, we will rise with Him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him. if we are unfaithful, He remains faithful.

Timothy should work hard to present himself before God as a faithful worker. We should avoid foolish talk that leads to godless behaviour. Hymenaeus and Philetus have turned some people away from faith by teaching that the resurrection of the dead has already happened.

Application

The word of God cannot be chained.

Gods word is powerful and mighty. Nobody can restrain it. Tyrants and governments try, and the more they squash the truth the more it grows.

Jesus said that if His disciple stopped praising Him, then the rocks themselves would sing his praises.

Nothing can stop the gospel from being spoken, heard, and accepted .

Some people say that we live in a post-christian society. I say that we’re in a pre-christian society. Many people have rejected the truth, but they will see that Jesus is the only answer to their personal problems and those of the nation.

The word of God, energised by the Spirit of God, is about to be released in the land in a way we have never yet seen.

Prayer

Lord, your word cannot be chained. Make it effective and powerful in all who hear it. Amen

Scripture
For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time – to show us his grace through Christ jesus.

Observation
Don’t be ashamed to tell others about the Lord. Timothy needs to be ready to suffer for the sake of the Good News. God saved us to live a holy life and He planned this before the beginning of time.

Paul is suffering in prison because of his preaching. He is not ashamed because he knows the one he trusts.

Everyone from the province of Asia has deserted Paul. Onesiphorous, on the other hand, has been kind to Paul. He often visited Paul and encouraged him.

Application
God saved us from before time began. That was his eternal plan. Christ was killed before the foundation of the world.

Before he created anything, God had a plan for people. He foresaw that we would rebel against Him, but he also planned for our salvation.

God has called us to leave a holy life. We who are saved have a responsibility to live as God’s treasured people. Salvation is not the end in itself, but the establishment of a people dedicated to him is the goal.

All of this is God’s great grace. We never deserved to be saved. He saved us because of His great love.

Now, we respond to that love by serving Him and living for Him .

Prayer
Thank you Jesus for saving me. I commit myself to serving you and living a holy life to your glory. Amen

Scripture

This is why I remind you to fan into flame the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

Observation

Paul was chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ. His mission is to tell others about the life that comes through faith in Christ.

He thanks God for Timothy, praying for him night and day. He longs to see him again and will be overjoyed when they are reunited.

Timothy shares the faith of his mother and grandmother. Now he needs to fan into flame the gift God gave him when Paul laid hands on him. God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self control.

Application

All followers of Jesus have a deposit of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled or baptised with the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit flow out of us and into other people.

Paul reminds us here that we must fan into flame the spiritual gift that we have received. The christian life is a partnership with God, and there is always something that we must do to receive the fullness of Gods promises.

There are several ways that we can fan into flame the spiritual gifts that we experience.

Firstly, we must use the means of grace to care for our own spiritual life. We must devote ourselves to prayer, reading the scripture, worship, and so on.

Secondly, we must submit ourselves to spiritual authority – our church and pastor, an apostle or other accountability person.

Thirdly, we must use the gifts. Spiritual gifts are like physical muscles. They grow best when they are used. People benefit from practising their gifts in small groups before standing in front of a crowd. Individual ministry is also a great way to fan these gifts into flame.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please help me to use your gifts effectively and to the glory of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

Scripture
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.

Observation
People who are rich in this world should not be proud. They shouldn’t trust their money which is so unreliable. Instead, they should put their trust in God, being rich in good works and generosity.

Timothy should guard what God has entrusted to him. He should avoid godless, foolish discussions with opponents who flaunt their so-called knowledge.

Application
What has God entrusted to me?

• a ministry of pastoral care and teaching
• a dynamic faith community
• the gospel of Jesus Christ
• true knowledge of God and His word
• spiritual gifts

We all have received these things and much more from the Lord, and therefore should guard them as a treasured gift.

The “so-called knowledge” was probably a reference to the various gnostic sects. They thought that by learning various secrets of spiritual knowledge, we could shake off the sinful physical world and ascend to higher levels of spiritual purity. While they blended together teachings from various religions, including Christianity, they were far from the true faith.

We must avoid the temptation of chasing Bible secrets and mystical formulas for our salvation. It is our relationship with Jesus that sets us free from all sin. That is all we need.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are my living King. Thank you for your unfailing love. Amen

Scripture

For at just the right time, Christ will be revealed from Heaven by the blessed and only Almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Observation

People who long to be rich fall into all kinds of temptations. Money is a root of all kinds of evil. People have wandered away from the faith because of it.

Timothy is a man of God and will run away from these evil things. He should fight the good fight for the faith. If he does this without wavering, no one will find fault with him.

At just the right time Christ will be revealed from Heaven by Almighty God. He lives in light so brilliant that no human eye can see him.

Application

Many people spend a lot of time delving into the time and manner of Christ’s return. Many books have been written claiming to have the date worked out.

Regardless of what the latest teaching tells us about this, Christ will be revealed at the right time appointed by God. We don’t have to worry about these things, but rather we should be listening for what the Holy Spirit is telling us in this moment.

All of these things, both the cosmic “big picture” events and the mundane events of our daily lives are in God’s hands. We must trust Him and look to Him as our defender and protector in uncertain times. He is the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings.

Prayer

I thank you Lord that you are in control of the world and of my life. Help me to trust you always. Amen

Scripture

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth

Observation

Slaves must respect their masters, especially if the master is also a believer.

Timothy is encouraged to teach all these things. Those who contradict Paul’s teaching quibble over the meanings of words and stir up division.

True godliness with contentment is great wealth. We came into the world with nothing and we will leave the world with nothing. If we have enough food and clothing we should be content.

Application

If you have enough to live on, you don’t need anything more. There are people who are never happy with what they have. They have to have the latest model car, the best new gadgets, up-to-date fashions, and so on. Even with all this, they still want more.

True peace comes when we are content with what we have and thankful to God who is the provider of every good thing.

Living in relationship with God and honouring Him with our lifestyle is storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven. This is the eternal source of wealth, far better than gold or silver.

To combine godliness with contentment means that we are storing up eternal wealth and not lacking anything in this life either. Our hearts are fixed on God, our eyes focused on heaven, and nothing can disturb us.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this recipe for true riches – godliness and contentment. Amen

Scripture

Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgement. There are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious and the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

Observation

Elders should be paid well for their work in the church because workers deserve their pay.

Accusations against elders must be backed up by witnesses. Sins as should be reprimanded before the whole church.

Don’t be in a hurry to appoint church leaders.

Some sine are obvious, but others only come to light later. Similarly the good deeds of some people are obvious to all, but others will be revealed one day.

Application

Sometimes it is easy to see when people are sinning. Violence, lies, and fraud might remain hidden for now, but eventually everything comes to light.

Even if such things are never exposed in this life, everyone will give an account on the day of judgement, before a God who sees all of our deeds and the motives for them.

Similarly, some people’s good deeds are obvious to everybody. Others do things quietly, bringing kindness and joy on a daily basis without any recognition. These deeds will also be brought to light on judgement day.

the Lord accounts for it all so that, despite appearances in this life, everybody will be punished in the end.

Those who trust in the Lord and receive forgiveness from Jesus are exempted from this. The blood of Jesus cancels every sin – whether small or big, unseen or infamous. Jesus’ death on the cross is the sacrifice for every human sin.

Prayer

Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus for setting me free from my sin and for taking the punishment in my place. Amen

Scripture

If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.

Observation

To be on the church’s list for support, a widow must be at least 60 years old. She must be a woman of great virtue in the church.

Younger widows do not need to be supported by the church. They will probably remarry and will be prone to laziness and gossip. They should seek to marry marry and to look after their own families so that satan does not lead them astray.

Believers, especially women, should take responsibility for their own relatives and not require the church to do this for them.

Application

Our society is structured very differently to Roman society of 2000 years ago. Some of the problems Paul alludes to here can be seen in areas where governments provide Social Security benefits without requiring any obligation of recipients.

Family should care for their own members. Those who have no family to help them and who genuinely need help should be cared for by the church. This is the community expression of love for one another.

What this is really saying is that we need to keep an eye out for one another in the church. I do not need help today, but next week I might get sick and need specific help to do things I cannot do for myself. Similarly, when a brother or sister in the Lord find themselves in difficult times, I need to be ready to step up and give them a hand.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the Body of Christ that shows care for one another in practical ways. Help me to be ready to provide support in whatever ways I can. Amen

Scripture

Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

Reflection

Dearly beloved children, the church is my family and your family. You live in a world with no conception of genuine family relationships. You must learn to sincerely love one another.

Those who are older you must treat as you would your own mother and father. I tell you, my beloved, that you can learn this relational way of being from me for I am your father.

Let all your relationships be marked by my love, agape love. Those who are older deserve your respect.

There is no place for sexual exploitation in my family. Treat each other with all purity and do not ever treat my children as objects for lust or sexual sin. Whatever you do to the least of these you do to me.

Prayer

Lord, I bless your holy name. You are raising a household of royal priests for your glory. May your church recognise its holy calling. Amen