The Pastoral Epistles: 2 Timothy 1 (2)

Pray Psalm 71.12-15.
O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
Let them be confounded andconsumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.

Read and meditate on 2 Timothy 1.6, 7.

Reflect.
1. From these verses, what’s the recipe for love?

2. What fear can keep believers from knowing the power of God’s Spirit?

Meditate.
As in his first epistle, Paul insists that the outcome of the life of faith is love (v. 7; cf. 1 Tim. 1.5). Here Paul outlines the recipe for helping to ensure that love flows like rivers of living water from our lives.

First, don’t be afraid of anything in this world. If we’re afraid of losing something really important to us, we’ll hold on to it, rather than cling to God. If we’re afraid of what others might think or say or do to us, we’ll hold back from bearing witness to them. Don’t be afraid! God has not given us a spirit of fear. The spirit of fear, to the extent that it hinders our walk with and work for the Lord, comes not from God, but from the enemy of our soul.

Second, remember what you received when God called you to Himself (v. 6). He gave you His Spirit, and with His Spirit, everything we’ll ever need to grow in Him and serve Him well. Paul referred Timothy back to his ordination to preach. That was his calling. Our calling is to make disciples and be witnesses for Christ, and we received that calling to the Kingdom and glory of God at the moment He entered our lives. Never lose sight of your calling, and never forget that you have all the resources in God’s Spirit and Word that you will ever need.

Third, anchor your mind in sound doctrine. Sound doctrine outlines the recipe for love. Learn and look to sound doctrine, mix with the living water of God’s Spirit, and stir vigorously – by daily exercising yourself in the Word, prayer, and obedience.

That’s the recipe for love.

Reflect.
1. How can believers help one another to overcome any fears that keep us from growing in and serving the Lord?

2. Why is sound doctrine so important in the recipe for love? How can you grow in understanding sound doctrine?

3. The power of God’s indwelling Spirit flows through love. How many different ways should you expect to see this happening in your Personal Mission Field?

For it requires much zeal to stir up the gift of God. As fire requires fuel, so grace requires our alacrity, that it may be ever fervent.… For it is in our power to kindle or extinguish this grace.… For by sloth and carelessness it is quenched, and by watchfulness and diligence it is kept alive. For it is in you indeed, but you must render it more vehement, that is, fill it with confidence, with joy and delight. Stand manfully. John Chrysostom (344-407) Homilies on 2 Timothy 1

Let Your Spirit flourish in me, Lord, so that today I will…

Pray Psalm 71.12-16.
God is with us by His Spirit, to teach, guide, convict, and empower us for serving the Lord. How will you need Him to be at work in you today?

Sing Psalm 71.12-16, 3.
Psalm 71.12-16, 3 (Solid Rock: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less)
O God be not too far from me;
my ever-present Helper be!
Consume and shame my enemies;
let them reproached and humbled be.
Refrain, v. 3
A Rock of habitation be, command Your Word to rescue me;
my Rock and Fortress ever be!

But as for me my voice I raise
to sing in hope and constant praise!
With saving grace my voice will swell
Your never-ending grace to tell.
Refrain

T. M. Moore

Whatever our calling in life, we are sent to bring the joy of Christ to the people around us. Our book, Joy to Your World!, can show you how to fill your Personal Mission Field with more of the Presence, promise, and power of Christ and His Kingdom. Order your copy, as a supplement to our study of 1 Timothy, by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).