Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-15

Paul moves into the fifth example in his series of illustrations in this second chapter. This illustration is familiar to a lot of people, and the latter half of this week’s passage has often been quoted to encourage believers to study the Word.

You can see this passage in 2 Timothy 2:14-15:

2 Timothy 2:14-15

Much like Paul’s first letter to Timothy, this second letter contains a series of instructions on how to deal with false teachers. In the previous passages, Paul has encouraged Timothy to stand strong in the faith, especially as one living and serving in a pagan world. As Paul begins this passage, he continues that encouragement, but in light of the false teachers that have apparently been a problem for Timothy since the first letter was written.

This passage can be broken into three parts, or three exhortations, from Paul to Timothy.

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The Need For Solitude (ESD)

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We live in a very busy culture. And it seems as if it gets busier and busier all the time. Have you ever wondered why this is true? I Suspect that it has to do with our fear of loneliness. You may not want to admit that you fear being alone, but I believe that the fear of loneliness is one of most deep seated fears that we face. And I believe that more of us face that fear than we know.

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Because we are afraid to be alone, we surround ourselves with noise and busyness. We succumb to the crowds, and keep the constant hum of humanity around us at all times.

My generation was bad, but my kids’ generation is even worse. One of my daughters wears earbuds at all times, one in her ear, the other hanging down. My sons keep a radio station on in their room almost all the time. We even play white noise in the baby’s room. This keeps him asleep when the rest of the house is noisy. It masks the other sounds. I get that. But are we instilling in him from day one the fear of silence and aloneness?

But loneliness and noise aren’t our only options. There is another path we can take. We can develop the discipline of solitude and silence into our lives, and learn to live in that place, without the need for noise. Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, says this: Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:11-13

One of the strong features of the pastoral letters of Paul is his use of “trustworthy sayings.” He uses this phrase in 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:1, and 4:9. He uses it again in Titus 3:8. These brief summaries of Paul’s doctrine could easily be memorized and used in sharing the gospel with unbelievers.

You can see this trustworthy saying in 2 Timothy 2:11-13:

2 Timothy 2:11-13

There has been some discussion about what exactly Paul is referring to with the phrase “trustworthy saying.” Is he referring to the passage just previous? Or is he referring to the poetic verses he is about to share?

Some have suggested that with this phrase, Paul is talking about the previous verses. This doesn’t seem to make much sense, because in that passage Paul is talking about his being chained and enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel. This hardly fits the description of a “trustworthy saying.”

That leaves us the passage to come, the poetic stanzas in this week’s passage. This is much more likely to fit the description of a “trustworthy saying,” but it raises its own set of questions. Is this a fragment of an early Christian hymn? Or did Paul pen these words himself? Most of the commentaries on my shelf agree that these are likely Paul’s own words.

The poetry can be broken down into four parts, or strophes. The first two are positive, while the last two are negative. Let’s take a look at it line by line.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-10

Paul has been encouraging Timothy to endure for the sake of the gospel throughout the letter of 2 Timothy. In a fitting conclusion to that appeal, he draws everything back to the foundational element of the message of the gospel: Jesus Christ.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:8-10:

2 Timothy 2:8-10

The second chapter of Paul’s letter is full of different images of the believer who serves or ministers, whether that person is on staff at a church or not. We’ve looked at Paul’s comparison of the servant as a son, a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer.

In this passage, another example is given, but not as a comparison for ourselves. Rather, this illustration depicts Christ himself as our best example.

The work of Christ is the foundational to the message of the gospel. And as Timothy struggles to lead the church in Ephesus, what better example to motivate him, and us, than Christ himself to motivate us and encourage us to continue serving!

Paul asks Timothy to remember three key elements about Jesus as he serves:

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:6-7

So far, in the second chapter of his letter to Timothy, Paul has illustrated his point with three images, that of a son, a soldier, and an athlete. With this week’s passage, he begins a fourth image, that of a farmer.

Take a look at the passage for yourself in 2 Timothy 2:6-7:

2 Timothy 2:6-7

Paul’s use of imagery throughout this chapter is very effective, though brief. Most of his illustrations only last for a verse or two, and then he is on to the next idea. However, he packs a lot of punch into each of these perspectives.

The fourth illustration is one many of his readers would have been very familiar with, coming from the world of agriculture. Farmers are hard workers. I am acutely aware of this, since we live in an area that consists of a lot of farmers. Many of the people I know who work at farming do so from very early in the morning and throughout a long day. Whether it is farming for food, or with livestock, farming is difficult labor! And when Paul uses a word that is translated as “hardworking,” the idea conveyed is that there is a heavy weariness that comes from this hard work.

It’s interesting to note that this idea of a farmer, as well as the previous two, the soldier and the athlete, are all three illustrated in 1 Corinthians 9 as well. Paul really likes these ideas.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:4-5

The second chapter of 2 Timothy is full of a series of illustrations that Paul is using to get a point across to Timothy: Stay strong in the faith. In last week’s passage, we saw the image of a son, and the beginnings of the image of a soldier. In this week’s passage, the idea of a soldier will be completed as well as a picture of an athlete.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:4-5:

2 Timothy 2:4-5

The images that Paul uses as illustrations throughout this chapter bring home forcefully to Timothy, and the rest of Paul’s readers, that faith is like anything else in life. It takes endurance and effort. There is a level of commitment necessary to stay faithful.

I see three lessons to be gained from these verses. Two come from the image of the soldier, and the final one comes from the picture of the athlete.

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Rejuvenating Your Prayer Life (ESD)

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Probably one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines I face is the challenge of keeping my prayer life fresh and meaningful. It seems too easy to slip into a dull routine, praying the same prayers, or types of prayers, every day.

Once you fall into that rut, it can be difficult to pull yourself out of it. But if you want to experience a vivid and meaningful prayer life, you must do something to revitalize your prayers.

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Building a vibrant prayer life isn’t as difficult as it seems. Of all the methods I’ve tried in my life, none of them has been difficult. The only difficulty I’ve experienced has been in my consistency in maintaining the habit. It’s easy to fall into a dulling routine, or to become complacent in your prayer life.

But when that happens, your spiritual health suffers as if you’d just been sealed away from the life-giving oxygen that we need to survive. The frightening part is that we may not even notice that we’ve drifted until the effects are drastic.

For that reason, it’s crucial that we develop and maintain the discipline of a healthy prayer life. Over the course of my life and ministry, I’ve discovered a few ways that have helped me to keep my perspective fresh. Hopefully, they will help you as well.