No one enters a race hoping to come in second. Runners run to win. Paul ran to win (2 Timothy 4:7-8). And he wanted the same for Timothy—for him to finish well. But how? Second Timothy 3:14–17 provides the answer.
The church needs to understand the times in which we live and the culture in which we minister. From the Apostle Paul's pen, we'll glean the straightforward answer to this important question: “What must the church realize?”
Difficult days are ahead; in fact, they are already upon us. What should we do, knowing that the days are evil? Let's answer that question.
Learn from the past and look to the future to build a life marked by God’s grace and fulfilled potential. As 2 Timothy 3:10–14 reveals, there is a powerful link between remembrance of God’s truths and continuance in God’s ways.
Leadership isn’t for the faint of heart—not because it’s so demanding (though it is) but because it’s so isolating. This was true of Paul. All his life, he was engaged in the nitty-gritty of ministry. But sitting in a dark dungeon awaiting death, loneliness crept into his lap and refused to leave. So Paul took his pen and wrote his friend.
A grace-filled death only comes about after a grace-filled life. Like few others, Paul lived with grace and died with grace—grace to the very end.
Being trustworthy means showing up, ready and available, season after season. Showing up is a crucial part of faithfulness—and sometimes the hardest part.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll concludes his series on integrity with another look at the example of Paul—one who fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith to the very end.
Paul wrote to Timothy without panic and with purpose. The days were depraved and dangerous, and Timothy needed to read Paul’s never-to-be-forgotten final charge in order to complete his ministry. Pastors today who carry on the ministry, regardless of age, location, or culture, need to hear and heed that same timely and timeless charge.
Paul didn’t think life ridiculous or irrational—even with his head on the axeman’s block. In one of the finest epitaphs found in literature, Paul celebrated life, without reservation, remorse, or regret.
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