ATTEN-TION!

Read 2 Timothy 2: 1-26

Karen Makishima

Can you imagine yourself writing your last letter? Who would you address it to and what
would the contents be?

Here we have Paul in prison with chains on, penning his last letter to Timothy – his young
protégé’ who is a pastor of a church in Ephesus. You would think that Paul would want to talk
about how lonely he was, or how cold it was being in the prison dungeon, or reflecting on
how much suffering he had encountered for the sake of the Gospel. Paul does mention these
things, but if we focus on them we have missed his main point. Paul clearly shows us what
was really important to him at the end of his life. He encourages Timothy to keep the faith
and pass it on while drawing his strength from God. Paul knew that the Word of God couldn’t
be put in “chains” by man, and he spent his final days instructing Timothy to be a “workman
approved by God.”

Paul uses the analogy of a loyal soldier to describe our Christian walk. My favorite son-in-
law is currently serving a 15-month tour in Iraq. Before departing on his mission he spent
several months training. One of the first things they instilled in him during basic training was
to submerge his personal autonomy. He learned to accept without question the orders of
his commanding officer. Imagine taking a group of soldiers on a mission where everyone is
questioning the commander’s authority and choosing not to obey. Soldiers often face adverse
conditions, and this is not the time to question authority. Several different exercises built up
my son in-law’s endurance and taught him the necessity of working as part of a unified team.

In a similar way Paul exhorted Timothy to keep his focus on Christ, his commanding officer,
and not to get involved with worldly matters and distractions.

Praise God for our loyal Christian soldiers who are not only obedient to their commanding
officer, but to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!

P R AY E R
Heavenly Father, thank you for Paul’s example of perseverance in the face of imminent death.
He never lost sight of the goal of spreading the Gospel. Equip us to be loyal soldiers for You
while passing the faith on to others. Help us Father to find our strength in You. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
 DAY 88

QUESTIONS
Who is your Timothy? Who are you passing the faith on to?

Does Christ have your unquestioning loyalty and obedience?

How can you avoid being distracted from doing the things you believe God wants you to do
in life?

MY REFLECTIONS
Does any particular verse (SCRIPTURE) in today’s reading speak to you?

OBSERVE what this verse is saying to you:

How can you APPLY this verse to your life today?

My PRAYER for today is: