Be still: 'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.' Lord, today I ask you to speak to me through your Word. Amen
Read: 2 Timothy 1:15-2:13
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. (v8–9)
Encounter: Following Jesus is costly. As Paul writes to Timothy, we see that he is being chained like a criminal. Not only that but Paul shares that everyone in the province in Asia has deserted me. If I were to write a letter in similar circumstances, I fear it would be more of a ‘woe is me’ letter. When things turn south in life, I can be quick to complain, 'God where are you. What are you doing?' I can turn inwards and feel sorry for myself. But here I’m struck by Paul’s passion and fervency for the gospel to advance. It’s through pain that God works most powerfully.
Apply: Paul is in chains and so one could assume that his impact as carrier of the good news would be over. But, regardless of Paul’s circumstances and limits, God’s word is not chained. I love the fact that a number of letters written by Paul that populate much of the New Testament were written from prison. These letters have profoundly and significantly impacted humanity over millennia. Countless lives have been transformed throughout history by Paul’s words written whilst in chains.
What are the things in your life that feel like they are holding you back? Perhaps a health condition or maybe a challenging stage of life. What if rather than limiting what God can do in and through you, it’s these limiting realities that may see the gospel advance even more powerfully. Praise the Lord that God’s Word is never in chains!
Devote: Lord, help me grow more resilient in my faith – to embrace the reality that the gospel is costly. Lord, I give you the things in my life that I see as constraints and ask that you would work powerfully in and through them to bring glory to your name.