Blessed assurance

I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth… Psalm 121

There are passages in the Bible which call, not for detailed analysis, but simply to be soaked up and absorbed, to be enjoyed, even revelled in. Psalm 121 is one such. It offers us what an old hymn called “blessed assurance”, a simple reminder that God made us, God loves us, and God promises to protect and keep us. I want to take it verse by verse (there are only eight), with the prayer that it will speak to each of us exactly as the Spirit sees fit.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth (verses 1-2).

Only a fool, and an arrogant one at that, imagines that he or she doesn’t need help in their journey through life. We come into this world as helpless babies, and we leave it as helpless adults, and though our need of help may seem to be very slight in days of strength and vitality, it is there non-stop all the same – help from other people, above all help from God. To try and deny that fact is arrogance and folly.

Why does the psalmist “lift up his eyes to the mountains”? High mountains can be majestic and beautiful; but they can also be threatening, the haunt of robbers or the lair of an enemy army. Is the writer anxious about an unseen danger?

My guess is that he sees them as a metaphor for the majesty of God himself: “If God can create these, what is there that he can’t do!” And, of course, a city encircled by mountains is more secure than one unprotected by any natural barriers.

I had a friend once who was born in Scotland but spent most of her life in Lincolnshire – a county which is notoriously flat. I don’t think she had any serious regrets about her move, but “Och, I do miss the mountains!” she used to say. I’m sure she thought of them not just as natural features but as reminders of the glory and mystery of God.

Is it time some of us stopped, lifted up our eyes and allowed “God’s grandeur” (to borrow a phrase from a poem by G M Hopkins) to strike us afresh?

He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (verses 3-4).

Some weeks ago, walking with friends across a particularly muddy field, my feet lost their grip and down I slithered on my backside: not injured, but conscious of an alarming loss of control (not to mention dignity).

We sometimes speak of “losing our way” in life, and there are a million-and-one ways of doing that. They often come down to losing touch with God, to failing to trust and obey him. This verse assures us that that need not happen, because he “neither slumbers nor sleeps”; as our heavenly Father he is always watching over those who belong to him, his “Israel”. He is never “off duty” (in spite of Psalm 44:23!).

Do any of us reading this today feel that our feet are slipping? Is it time for a period of self-examination, a time to bring ourselves back under the protective gaze of God?

The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, not the moon by night (verses 5-6).

As so often, we need to recognise poetic figures of speech when we meet them in the Bible. True, in the world of the Bible the sun could quite literally be a killer – a truth we today are very conscious of, with harsh realities such as sunstroke and skin cancer. True also, we today don’t expect to be “harmed” by the moon at night: the psalmist here is, surely, putting into exaggerated speech the wonderfully reassuring truth that once we are secure in God’s love then we are secure for evermore.

The apostle Paul expands upon the same truth in Romans 8:35-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or nakedness or famine or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors…” Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

The Bible as a whole obviously doesn’t deny that bad things happen to God’s people. But what it insists is that even in such circumstances we remain secure.

The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore (verses 7-8).

I love that little turn of phrase, “your coming and going”. It seems to conjure up the sheer ordinary busyness of day-to-day life: getting up and brushing my teeth; heading to the bus-stop to get to work; popping into the shops; picking up the children from school or nursery; watching television or going to the leisure centre…

It covers daily life – but it also extends to the eternal future: “both now and for evermore”. To focus purely on this earthly life is ridiculously short-sighted. We are heading for a day when even the glory of the most majestic mountains will be nothing compared with what we will experience.

Do you believe this?

Lord God, thank you for watching over me in all the joys and sorrows of this earthly life. And thank you even more for the prospect of greater glories still to come. Amen.

God's army of ordinary people

Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus ill in Miletus. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. 2 Timothy 4:19-23

In the last four blogs we have been looking at the very human side of Paul, as it comes across in 2 Timothy 4, especially his sense of isolation when “everyone deserted me” (verse 16), and his need of friends and various home comforts.

Verses 19-23 continue that theme, reminding us of how greatly we all need friends in Christ. The Bible knows nothing of solitary Christians – Jesus didn’t found the church for fun! - so if by any chance you are a Christian but not in fellowship with a church, may I suggest that you are claiming in effect to know better than him, and that that is not only arrogant and outrageous but, putting it bluntly, sinful and disobedient, and should be put right as soon as possible. The fact that Christians can at times be pretty exasperating is no excuse – perhaps you can be pretty exasperating as well?

Some of Paul’s friends mentioned here are people otherwise unknown – Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, not to mention “all the brothers and sisters”. Which reminds us that the great majority of Christians are people the world would see as non-entities – an “army of ordinary people”, as we used to sing. I for one am more grateful than I can say for the love and guidance of many people whom the world as a whole probably wouldn’t look at twice. Non-entities perhaps – but not to me!

The other people named here do appear elsewhere in the New Testament. Onesiphorus was clearly a real gem of a Christian (2 Timothy 1:16-18). Erastus is described as a “helper” (Acts 19:22), along with Timothy (and also seems to have moved in high places as “the city’s director of public works” (Romans 16:23)).

But two other names strike me as especially interesting and worth dwelling on a little: Priscilla (or Prisca), along with her husband Aquila; and Trophimus (verses 19-20).

Priscilla and Aquila

We meet this couple also in Acts18 (verses 2, 18, 19, 26), where Paul becomes their lodger and shares with Aquila in his tent-making business. He then travels with them from Corinth to Ephesus, where they part company.

It’s while Priscilla and Aquila are still in Ephesus that they meet a travelling preacher and teacher called Apollos, who, for all his intellectual and spiritual gifts, has various gaps in his doctrinal understanding of the gospel. He preaches in the synagogue and… “when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him into their home (they were obviously a hospitable couple!) and explained to him the way of God more adequately”.

Their names crop up again in Romans 16:3, where Paul describes them as “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus” who “risked their lives for me”. This couple were obviously very special! – and not only to Paul (see also 1 Corinthians 16:19, where they appear as hosts of a house-church).

A special couple indeed, with much about them worth noticing. But what I’m leading up to is this: out of six mentions in the New Testament, in four Priscilla takes precedence over her husband – it’s Priscilla and Aquila, not Aquila and Priscilla.

The commentaries tell us that this was unusual in the ancient world – just as today, certainly in fairly conventional circles, it’s usually Jim and Mary, not Mary and Jim. And the question arises: should we read any significance into this?

Probably not. Suggestions that have been made are: Priscilla became a Christian before Aquila; she was a stronger personality than him; she came from a higher social class; she had a better intellectual grasp of Christian teaching. But these are nothing more than guesses.

But – let’s just put it like this - it sounds as if (for example) when they were busy instructing Apollos, Priscilla certainly wasn’t just in the kitchen making the tea… I invite you to make what you can of that!

Trophimus

Trophimus appears elsewhere just in Acts 20:4 and 21:29 as a travelling companion of Paul. But it’s the little throw-away remark, that Paul “left him ill in Miletus”, that means a lot to me personally.

Why? In my early years as a minister what was then known as “the charismatic movement” burst upon us and changed church life for ever. I don’t doubt that it was a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit, sent by God to stir up his church.

But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t aspects of it which ranged from the slightly odd to the seriously crazy. Tending towards the crazy end of that spectrum was the belief that healing was always available if you had true faith – with the nasty implication that if you were sick and didn’t get heled, well, sorry, but it was your own fault. (I remember a blind lady of strong Christian faith who, in a state of real distress, wanted to know, “Colin, is there something wrong with me, that my sight hasn’t been restored?”)

You can see why the fact that Paul “left Trophimus ill in Miletus” came to mean a lot to me – and, I hope, became a real comfort to many, some chronically ill or disabled, whose faith had been seriously wobbled. We know from elsewhere that Paul was used by God in healing – see, for example, Acts 14:10, 19:11-12, 28:8. Well, why then did he leave Trophimus ill!

The answer can only be: because, for whatever reason, God had withdrawn the power, at least for that particular occasion. That doesn’t mean miraculous healing can never happen today: just that, if it doesn’t, the sufferer needn’t feel guilty or a failure.

I wonder if I will meet Trophimus in heaven. If I do, I will have something to thank him for: “Sorry, Trophimus, that you weren’t healed when I’m sure you would have loved to be. But if it’s any consolation I’d like you to know that your continuing illness meant a lot to me – and also, I hope, to some from the little flock I pastored.

(Not, I think, that any of us will need any kind of consolation when that day comes…!)

Whatever, thanks be to God for the “non-entities” who made up so many of Paul’s special friends, and who were even more special to God.

Lord Jesus, thank you for that “army of ordinary people” who have made up your church through twenty centuries. Please help me to live for you in such a way that even I might be special to many others. Amen. 

When you're all alone

At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:16-18

In the last three blogs I have been working through 2 Timothy 4, from verse 6. My thought has been that sometimes, reading Paul, he can seem a little intimidating, a little “heavy” perhaps, so it’s good to see a more human, vulnerable, Paul as he writes this letter to his protégé Timothy.

Last time we saw his remarks about Alexander the metalworker “who did me a great deal of harm” (verses 14-15). This is to fore-arm Timothy about the influence of this man, whoever he may have been. We reflected on the fact that there will always be divisions and trouble-makers in the church, so we should be on our guard and seek to handle such situations in a Christlike manner.

(I have been struck, by the way, by the unusually high number of hits I have received following that last blog! – it would seem that I struck a sensitive chord. Which is, perhaps, slightly troubling...?)

In verses 16-18 Paul continues this theme as he recalls the occasion of an earlier court hearing (“my first defence”) when “no-one came to my support, but everyone deserted me”.

It’s a touching picture – Paul, now in old age, in some kind of cell and then in a court of law, with not a friendly face in sight. As someone who has hardly ever felt lonely (just once sticks in my mind, abroad in my student days, when something went wrong and I could have wept for want of someone I knew to talk to), I can only imagine Paul’s feeling of utter desolation and desertion.

Perhaps this picture of a lonely Paul can prompt us to keep our eyes open for “all the lonely people” – there are more of them about than we imagine.

As I read verse 16 I can’t help but compare Paul’s experience to that of Jesus himself – how, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). When Jesus calls us to take up our cross in order to follow him, he is being deadly serious. Lord, give us strength…

What else can we glean from these three verses...?

First, Paul refuses to feel self-pitying or bitter.

True, “everyone deserted me”, he laments. But he immediately adds “May it not be held against them”.

He has surely learned this lesson from Jesus himself who, on the cross, prayed for those crucifying him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). And, of course, he was there when Stephen was stoned to death, and may well have heard his dying words: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

Harbouring grudges is very natural to our sinful natures. But it is something we must learn to struggle against – to train ourselves in a “Leave it to God!” attitude, a kind of spiritual shoulder-shrugging.

Are any of us nursing bitterness against anyone? Remember the wise saying: “That’s like drinking poison - and expecting the other person to die”.

Second, Paul experiences God’s enabling.

True, his friends may have deserted him, but “the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”.

This is often the testimony of Christians under persecution: that in desperate loneliness and isolation they feel a special sense of God’s presence. Perhaps their friends and colleagues couldn’t be with them physically - but you never know who is praying for you, do you?

For those of us not under persecution, Hebrews 13:3 is an absolute must: “”Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them…” And how better can we do that than by our faithful prayers?

Third, Paul sees his suffering as an opportunity.

Why did God give him that strength? So that “through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles hear it”.

It seems that his appearance in that dock gave him the chance to explain who he was and why he was there (the same thought is expressed in Philippians 1:12-14).

“Every problem is an opportunity in disguise”. How easy it is to trot that out as a glib platitude! But… it is true - if only we will face the problem with determined faith.

Fourth, Paul expresses his confidence for the ultimate future.

“The Lord will… bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom”. Such is his faith – and it reminds us that every Christian’s story has a happy ending! In 2 Corinthians 4:17 Paul asserts that our present troubles are “light and momentary” (oh for such faith!) and lead to “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all”.

No wonder he rounds off this section of his letter with “To him – the Lord - be glory for ever and ever. Amen”.

Amen, indeed.

Lord and Father, when the going is hard it’s easy to feel lonely, deserted and even abandoned and bitter. But thank you that you promise to be with us always, and that one day you will take us to glory. And thank you too for those, some I know and some I don’t, who loyally pray for me. Amen.

Trouble-makers in the church...?

Alexander the metal-worker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 2 Timothy 4:14-15

Many years ago I knew of a church where, in a members’ meeting, one man disagreed so violently with another that he “put him on the deck”, to borrow someone’s vivid phrase. An ambulance had to be called. (I wonder what the ambulance staff thought? Not, I think, an entirely good witness…)

Well, we all know that Christians can disagree, sometimes quite strongly, and that’s just the way things are, and the way things always will be, until Jesus returns.

It happened in those heady early days of the church. Acts 15:36-40 tells us about a heated clash (a “sharp disagreement”, literally a paroxysm) between Paul and Barnabas over what Paul saw as the flakiness of Barnabas’ nephew John Mark.

And then, of course, there was the famous, historic confrontation between Paul and Peter in Galatia, described in Galatians 2:11-21.

Paul does suggest that sometimes disagreement can be a healthy sign (1 Corinthians 11:18). But it certainly goes against the will of Jesus, who prayed that his people “may all be one” (John 17:20-23). We Christians, down through the centuries, seem to have developed a tragic and poisonous talent for falling out, as we see only too clearly as we look around our world today. May God forgive us!

While it is usually impossible – and wrong anyway to try - to point the finger of blame in only one direction (as the saying goes, every time you point your finger at another person, you are pointing four at yourself), the fact is that every church of any size is likely to have its quota of troublemakers. This was certainly the experience of Paul, and he alerts Timothy here to one particular individual – “Alexander the metalworker”, who “did me a great deal of harm”. Look out for him! he warns.

Alexander was a common name at the time, and no-one can be sure exactly who this man was. “Metal-worker” means literally “coppersmith”, but that doesn’t help us much. But just possibly he was the would-be spokesman of the Jews in the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:33).

It doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that he was clearly anti-Paul and his ministry: “he strongly opposed our message”. Unfortunately even that leaves us a little in the dark. By “our message” (literally “our words”), does Paul mean the gospel as a whole, or Paul’s particular emphasis on “justification by faith”? Whatever, Paul considered him a spiritual danger.

These two verses suggest various things to keep in mind when church life is blighted by trouble-makers…

First, expect such things to happen – and therefore don’t be too cast down when they do. Even fully committed Christians aren’t quite perfect yet! If it happened in those early days, shouldn’t we expect it now?

Second, keep things in perspective.

Some divisions in the church are, sadly, the result of a personality clash or a relatively trivial disagreement. Paul seems to have stayed fairly cool regarding Alexander, leaving him to the judgment of God: “The Lord will repay him for what he has done”; God alone, who knows the rights and wrongs of all things, will arbitrate.

Compare that with his outraged attitude towards the scandal of the “immoral man” of 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, where he suggests what can only be called excommunication.

Third, look out for misguided zeal.

Some people we regard as trouble-makers are more likely just rather immature Christians who have got a particular bee in their bonnet - and who rather like the sound of their own voice.

Fourth, focus on the heart of the issue.

This is the main thing – is the trouble-maker leading the church away from the essence of the gospel? To use old-fashioned language: is he or she preaching doctrinal heresy?

And what that means is: Are they saying things clearly contrary to the plain teaching of scripture and the agreed consensus of two thousand years of the church - such as Christ’s death for our sins and resurrection from the dead, the three-fold personhood of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and salvation only through the mercy and grace of God, received by faith alone? Or are they in fact just riding a personal hobby-horse or chasing the latest fad?

Of course there may be other important issues as well. I think of churches known to me which were led down a charismatic path which became seriously crazy; or which took a tilt towards “Christian Zionism”; or which got seduced into the “prosperity gospel”. Sadly, there is literally no end of possibilities. These too may need to be dealt with. But it’s wise to keep in mind the question “Is the basic gospel at stake here?”

Often a very narrow line needs to be trod – a line between turning a blind eye on the one hand, and over-reacting on the other, each of which might be disastrous. Paul sees the Alexander matter as important enough to warrant a warning for Timothy, but not so much as to give detailed advice. Timothy is, after all, the man on the spot.

Oh, and let’s not forget one more vital principle, a question we need to keep in mind: that trouble-maker – could it, er, be me…?

Father, the church for which Jesus died was full of faults and weaknesses, yet still he loved it. Please help me to do the same, showing patience, wisdom and love, just as these mercies have been shown at different times to me. Amen.

When walking by faith is a plod

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 2 Timothy 4:9-13

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children… Hebrews 12:7

Have you ever wondered what the early Christians did in their leisure moments? What was life like when the light was dimming (no electric light, of course) and the day’s work was done (no television or computer games or telephones)? What were meal-times like?

Can you imagine Peter in his carpet slippers, or Paul challenging his hosts Priscilla and Aquila (see Acts 18:1-4) to some popular board game? How well did Paul and Aquila co-operate in their tent-making? Did they ever disagree?

You may be slightly shocked that I should even ask such questions. Surely, you might subconsciously assume, they spent every minute of every day praying and reading the scriptures? In those famous medieval paintings, aren’t they always gazing adoringly into heaven with haloes over their heads? Well, yes, they are – and so much the worse for those paintings! - because we can be sure it really wasn’t like that at all!

The earliest Christians were ordinary men and women like us, which is why we should value little snippets like these verses, where we get a glimpse of Paul feeling lonely and even abandoned (“Demas has deserted me”), feeling the cold (“bring me my cloak”) and wanting his books. He is in some kind of custody (see 1:8 and 2:9) when he writes these words, which only serves to make his sheer humanness and frailty all the more real.

He tells Timothy to come and visit him – “quickly”! (he repeats the request in verse 21). He’s missing the company of trusted friends – Demas through desertion, Crescens (whoever he is) gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia and Tychicus to Ephesus, all serving elsewhere.

And he’s also missing Mark – which is touching because this is the John Mark who, as a young man, let him and Barnabas down in missionary service (see Acts 13:13), causing serious bad blood between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41). Mark, apparently, is “helpful to me in my ministry” – clearly the rift had been healed. (Never give up on a bruised or fractured relationship!)

“Only Luke is with me”, he says – and that little statement, that “only”, has a real tinge of sadness, especially as he doesn’t expect to see his friends on earth all that much longer (verses 6-8). According to Colossians 4:14 Luke is “our dear friend Luke, the doctor”. (Thanks be to God for friends like that!)

What can we glean to fill out our mental picture of this great apostle?

First, he had the same physical needs as we do. He felt the cold in that prison cell. (I wonder who the Carpus of Troas (that’s Troy) was, in whose home he had left his cloak?)

Second, he had the same intellectual needs as we do. He asks Timothy to “bring me my scrolls and parchments”. We have no clear idea what these might be, though the “scrolls” were perhaps rolled up manuscripts, like we see today in museums, very limited in their capacity, and the “parchments” more like the stitched together sheets which were the forerunners of what we think of as books today.

Did they contain scriptures? It would surely be surprising if they didn’t, though the scope would be very limited and, of course, what we now know as the “New Testament” didn’t yet exist.

Whatever, speaking as a keen reader I must admit that the thought of being without books even for an hour or two is quite alarming – and I can well identify with Paul longing for some written matter to feed his mind on.

Not all of us are keen readers, and that’s fine. But do we take care over what we do read, what we allow into our minds, making sure that it is pure and wholesome?

Third, Paul had the same emotional needs as we do. I’ve touched on his sense of isolation (where would he have been without Luke?).

“Demas has deserted me”, he says. Does that mean Demas has abandoned his faith altogether, or that he has found sharing in Paul’s ministry more than he could cope with (perhaps like the young John Mark all those years ago in Perga)? We don’t know, but it must have been a painful experience - according to Colossians 4:14 Demas had earlier sent greetings along with Luke, presumably all best of friends. He pops up again in Philemon 23.

The sense of betrayal by those who lose their way is part and parcel of the Christian life and Christian service – one only has to think of Jesus and Judas… We shouldn’t be surprised if/when it happens to us.

Where does all this lead?

Just to this… There is, and always has been, a real ordinariness in the Christian life. It isn’t miracles and visions all the way! It’s often more like frustrations and disappointments, sadnesses and discomforts, physical problems whether great or small, and petty annoyances. These are the means God uses to test and strengthen our faith. So take heart!

Father, I confess that following Jesus can sometimes seem hard and wearisome, sometimes even rather dull. Please help me to keep going day by day, trusting that the day will dawn when all the troubles and irritations of life will be gone for ever. Amen.

Packed and ready to go?

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Anyone who reads the letters of Paul in the New Testament quickly discovers that he could be both quite a firebrand and quite a demanding teacher. Paul the firebrand challenges us to a life of whole-hearted Christian discipleship; Paul the teacher challenges us to bring our minds to bear on truths that can be hard to grapple with. Paul was a complex man.

But there are other times when he comes across as very human and even vulnerable. The fourth, and last, chapter of his second letter to Timothy is a good example: here we see an old man reflecting on his life and service for God, displaying his physical weakness, and boldly confronting his approaching “departure”.

I want to spend two or three posts in this very rich chapter, starting here in verses 6-8. Putting it very briefly, he is reflecting on the past, the present and the future of his life – though not in that order.

(1) He starts with the present: “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near” (verse 6).

Poured out like a drink offering? That, to us, is a very strange figure of speech. But we need to remember that in the ancient world, both the Jewish and the pagan world, the offering of animal sacrifice was something you might come across every day of your life: ancient temples and town-centres would smell like an abattoir. And the sacrifices  would very likely be accompanied by oil or wine poured on the altar.

Paul seems to mean that he views his many years of service as a non-stop sacrifice, and his approaching death as the final drink-offering. Something like: “Father, my life is drawing to its end, and I want my death to be the last offering I can make to you”.

I heard about a Christian recently who had been diagnosed with terminal illness. Someone asked him how he was feeling about it, and he said, “I’m fine! I’m standing on the platform, my suitcase packed, and ready to depart”. Perhaps that’s a rough-and-ready, twenty-first century alternative to Paul’s “drink offering”! You may be still a long way from death (as far as you know!) – but do you see that event, when it comes, as an act of glad sacrifice?

May God help us to glorify him in our dying as much as in our living.

(2) Then Paul surveys his past: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (verse 7).

He could almost be boasting; but I don’t think he is. It’s more like a plain statement of fact.

First: Yes, it’s been hard – a fight! The Christian life is a daily struggle. To become a follower of Jesus is to join an army, not to book into a holiday camp. The so-called “prosperity gospel” is a straight lie – just see what Paul has to say in, say, 2 Corinthians 6:3-10.

Second: Yes, it’s been an endurance test – a race! And the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint: we are called to keep on keeping on. Those crazy people who run long-distances for fun tell us that there comes a point where an endurance barrier has to be broken. And Christian living is like that.

May God help us to remember that when, say, we “grow weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9).

Third: Yes, there have been times of doubt and even wavering, times to “keep – or hold on to - the faith”, even if through gritted teeth. Spurgeon’s Bible College in London has a motto: in Latin, Teneo et teneor: “I hold, and I am held”, or, a little more loosely, “As I hold, so I am held”.

May God help us to prove that true every day!

(3) Then Paul looks to the future: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day…” (verse 8).

Just as the athlete in the arena looked forward to being crowned with the winner’s garland, so Paul looks forward to a “crown of righteousness”. In this present life, even the most dedicated follower of Jesus experiences disappointments, failures and hardships, but victory is on the way. Jesus wore the crown of thorns so that we might wear the crown of victory.

A fact: one day you will be the perfect you and I the perfect me. The perfection that Paul is referring to is entirely the gift of God’s grace, yet there is also a sense in which it is the natural outcome of the righteous life: as Jesus put it, “great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12).

So, says Paul, This is me, Timothy! – a fighter, a runner, a holder-on: and ultimately, a winner. But he can’t resist adding, And of course, this doesn’t only apply to me! No, “this is also for all who have longed for his appearing”.

Does that include you and me? Do we, today, long for the return of Jesus in glory? Are we also packed and ready to go?

Dear Father, please forgive me when I fail and refresh me when I am weary, and so bring me to that day when I will be rewarded with the crown of victory and glory. Amen.