Topic: Are you Finishing Well?
Since leaving home with the apostle Paul, Timothy had been a faithful servant to him. Timothy ministered beside Paul during the second and third missionary journeys. Following the third missionary journey, the apostle instructs Timothy to stay and pastor the church in Ephesus. Paul sent him two letters there, spaced about four years apart, to provide the young pastor encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
Growing older and anticipating death, Paul understood that the ministry would only become more difficult for Timothy in his absence. Additionally, Paul knew Timothy’s mission to keep the church in line with sound doctrine. Encouraging believers to live their lives well for the sake of Christ. Though hardship would come, the apostle wanted Timothy to continue in the things he had learned, drawing from the rich heritage of faith passed down from Paul, Timothy’s mother, and his grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5–6; 3:14–15).
The most striking feature of Paul’s encouragement comes when the aging apostle repeats a prominent phrase from his first letter to Timothy. In that earlier letter, Paul exhorted him to “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12). But in this second letter, he turns that phrase on himself, writing that he had “fought the good fight . . . finished the course . . . and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). What a great encouragement it must have been for Timothy to know that his mentor boldly modeled perseverance in the faith, even to the point of death; especially when Timothy was imprisoned for his faith soon after receiving Paul’s letter (Hebrews 13:23).
Second Timothy brings us to contemplate the brink of death, forcing us to consider its reality and how we might react when faced with it. Paul did not dwell on the injustice that had befallen him. Instead, he trusted that God placed him right where He wanted him. The apostle turned his attention to others, specifically to the church and to his young son in the faith, Timothy.
Where do you hope your thoughts linger at the end of your days?
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem