Tuesday, February 7, 2017, 9:58 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “I Will Lift My Eyes.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read 2 Timothy
1:1-14 (NASB).
Recalling Your Tears (vv. 1-7)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the
way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and
day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled
with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt
in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in
you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God
which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a
spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
It is believed that Timothy’s
tears were related specifically to the tears he had shed when Paul had to leave
him, as Paul and Timothy were like father and son. Some also believe that Timothy’s
tears were shed on behalf of Paul and his suffering, as Timothy would have been
concerned, caring and compassionate regarding Paul’s suffering. Also, in context,
it could be that Timothy was experiencing some of his own anguish, perhaps
related to his own ministry in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, it
appears Timothy had also been experiencing frequent illnesses related to his
stomach, which could have also been still weighing on him (See: 1 Tim. 5:23). Yet,
no matter the reason for the tears, it would seem that Timothy may have been
experiencing some kind of feelings of depression or discouragement. And, so
Paul was writing to encourage him and to build him up in his faith.
We all need encouragement,
don’t we? Most all of us suffer in various ways, sometimes in silence where no
one really knows the pain that is in our hearts. Sometimes this is because we
lack genuine Christian fellowship of the kind that would lift us up in the
Spirit and that would spur us on to good deeds, and so we cry, longing for
close Christian companions who can encourage us in our walks of faith. There is
so much worldliness in the church and so many professing Christians shy away
from conversations about Jesus and his Word, and would rather talk about what
the world talks about. Many, too, live in abusive relationships and lack
genuine Christian companionship in their marriage relationships or in family
relationships.
Many of those who are walking
in holiness, though not in absolute perfection, are being ostracized even by
the family of believers because of their seriousness of faith and spiritual
walks and commitments to obedience to Christ and to his word, because they love
God. They don’t have to go out into the world to be persecuted for their faith,
for there are many within the church, or at least within the worldly institutional
church, who are persecuting them because of their stand on the truth of the
gospel and their strong biblical and spiritual convictions in the Spirit of
God.
Too much of the church has
gone the way of the world here in America, and thus they are focused on winning
the world to the “church” via worldly means and methods, and have thus diluted
the gospel to make it more appealing and acceptable to the world. And, they don’t
want anyone saying anything that might offend the people of the world, because they
want them to keep coming back to their “churches,” i.e. to their places of
business.
In such a worldly church
environment, those with sincere faith in Jesus Christ might experience
isolation and may cry out to God longing for the kind of fellowship they once
had in years past, which seems to be fading into the darkness. And, if they
are, too, suffering abuse, persecution, illnesses, opposition, and apathy, because
of their sincere faith, and because of their stand on the truth of the Word of
God and the gospel of our salvation, they may have need of being refreshed in
their spirits and of being encouraged to fan into flame the gift of God within
them so that they don’t suffer discouragement and give way to fear, loneliness,
and opposing forces. Yet, we must know here that if no one else cares, and if
no one else reaches out to encourage and build us up in the faith, God always
cares, and he never leaves us or forsakes us, but he is there to lift us up, if
we will let him, and to spur us on to good deeds even if, in our emotions, we
lack the strength.
I Suffer These Things (vv. 8-14)
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel
according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been
revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was
appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also
suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and
I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that
day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the
faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who
dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
Suffering is part of the
Christian life. God brings suffering into our lives or he permits suffering to
take place in our lives as part of our maturing process in Christ – to make us
holy, to conform us to the image of Christ, and to prune and purify us so that
we can be even more fruitful for God’s eternal kingdom. Suffering can also help
to make us humble, to get us to call on (to rely on) God more, and to get us to
draw closer to our Lord in fellowship with him and in obedience to his word,
especially during times when we may be getting too comfortable in this world,
too complacent, and/or too lazy about our spiritual walks. And, so suffering
serves as a kind of shot in the arm to wake us up and to get us back on track,
if we have gotten off track even a little bit.
Or, suffering works to grow
us even deeper in our faith, sometimes in preparation for specific areas of
ministry for which God is preparing us, which may involve even greater
suffering and persecution to come, and thus we will need this lighter or lesser
suffering now to strengthen our resolve to not give up and to not give in to
discouragement when the going gets really, really tough, which sometimes it
will.
So, when we take a stand for
godliness and holiness in a world and in a worldly church where so many are
making excuses for continued and willful sin against God, we should expect to
be hated, rejected, persecuted and ostracized for our sincere faith in Jesus
Christ and our genuine faith in the truth of his Word. When we choose to walk
in holiness, in the power of the Spirit within us, and thus we do separate
ourselves from what is worldly, and we do come out from the world and are
separate in attitude, thought, belief and actions, we should not be surprised
if even worldly Christians or family members also persecute and reject us, and
even snub us and ignore our testimonies of faith and our love for our Lord
because they disagree with our stand on the Word and our commitments to our
Lord and to his service. They may even try to persuade us to come more their
way because they may feel that is more “normal” and acceptable.
So, when we go through such
times, and when true Christian fellowship may even seem to be scarce, our
dependency needs to be on Jesus Christ and on his promises and on the truth of
his Word. We need to get our focus off of people, and we need to get our eyes
on the Lord, following him always.
I Will Lift My Eyes / An
Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most
High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me
from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He
who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your
life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most
High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me
from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in
heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s
forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He
made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He
gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in
heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s
forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our
side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God
will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s
our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our
side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace
within.
I can count on Him.
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