4 verses

Here 4 verses from the first chapter of the second letter Paul wrote to his adopted son, Timothy.

When he wrote this second letter, Paul knew is was about to die.

I doubt he was mincing words with Timothy.

These 4 verses stood out for me.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear & timidity, but of power, love, & self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1: 7

Now, this verse doesn't give us the license to be jerks.

I've seen far too many people us it as an excuse to be obnoxious or brutal.

Notice Paul uses power, love, & self-discipline to describe how we're to be.

I've never known an obnoxious jerk who demonstrate power, love & self-discipline. ;-)

I think that Paul was also telling his young adult son (a 20something?) to not hang back, but to share the new life he had come to know through & because of Jesus.

Perhaps the same applies to us.

I know the One in whom I trust, & I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return. 2 Timothy 1:12b

Paul was all in with his commitment to live for & trust in Jesus.

He trusted Jesus implicitly & explicitly to take care of him, no matter what happens.

No matter what happens...

4 words I've been living with in strange & wonderful ways since the the 23^rd f December, 2009.

But that's another conversation...

Paul had let go of his life & was living it for Jesus.

And he knew Jesus had his 6.

Maybe we can learn from Paul, that the completely abandoned life of a follower of Jesus is one where we can know that He will take care of us, no matter what happens.

Remember to live in the faith & love that you have in Christ Jesus.

With the help if the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard what has been entrusted to you.

2 Timothy 1:13b-14

We, like Timothy, simply need to live our lives, trusting in Jesus to take care of us.

And as we live our lives from day to day, Paul seems to say to take care of whatever things Jesus has led us to believe to are to be & do.

We're all “entrusted” with something or some things.

All of us have a life plan that God dreamed for each & every one of us when He created us.

If you've never read 2 Timothy, you really should – it's just 4 chapters. It's a letter filled with love – the love of a father for his son, the regard of one Christian brother to another, & some pretty stuff to hold on to.