Goodness Coming From Tragedy

Ruth 1:1-22

After a tragedy hits, whether it is a personal or family tragedy, or a larger one, we sometimes might hear someone pray for God to bring something good out of what happened.  We might wonder what possible good could ever come from this?  They just lost their home and every belonging in a fire, or they just lost their pension due to crooks in their former company, or several people in their family died in an accident.  What good could possibly happen?  Our Old Testament reading this week describes a devastating tragedy that happened to one woman.  Can God lift her out of this and bring good back into her life?  Let’s look and see.

The Book of Ruth is a short book of only four chapters, nestled between the Book of Judges and the Books of Samuel, and it takes place during the time of the judges, a time when the people of Israel swayed back and forth between obeying God and then worshiping pagan gods.  During times of disobedience, the Lord would often send enemy nations to conquer parts of the land for a while, or He would send crop failure to bring famine, or a drought.  As we begin reading our Scripture, we see that there was a famine.  It got so bad that a gentleman named Elimelech felt the need to take his wife and two sons and leave their home of Bethlehem and travel into the foreign country of Moab, which was not affected by this famine (vs. 1-2).  He seems to have settled right in among his Moabite neighbors, despite their being pagans and enemies of both Israel and Yahweh, as he got wives for his sons from among them.  However, while there Elimelech died, and then his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion also died.  That left a destitute widow Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah (vs. 3-5).

This is a tragic situation that Naomi finds herself in now.  She was an older woman in a foreign country, now a widow with no husband or son to care for her.  In those days a woman couldn’t just go out and get a job.  Women were dependent on their husbands to care for them, and if he died hopefully she had a son to take her in.  Sometimes a son-in-law might, but without any of them, a widow would be left to beg in order to survive.  Would God bring good out of this?  Naomi heard the famine was over, so she decided to return to her hometown, and maybe some relatives might have pity on her and take her in (vs. 6-7).  As she leaves, Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to return to their families.  They were Moabites and pagans, and Israel was no place for them.  However, Ruth refused to go.  She had come to faith in Yahweh, and would not leave the mother-in-law she loves to some unknown fate (vs. 8-18).

Let’s look at the decisions that have been made so far in this narrative.  Elimelech made the decision to flee to a pagan country rather than trusting in Yahweh.  God had warned his people against joining with the pagan nations around them.  Yes, perhaps Elimelech had felt at the time that he had no choice, as there was a famine in the land.  However, that decision was not one of faith, but of pragmatism, and a believer needs to trust in God no matter what is happening in life.  When we face hardships, we need to trust in God’s provision, rather than looking to a worldly solution.

Elimelech and Naomi had also decided to take pagan women as wives for their sons.  God had specifically warned against this (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).  Sometimes we justify marrying an unsaved person by saying that we might lead that unsaved person to the Lord, but more often than not, that does not happen.  Fortunately for Naomi, her one daughter-in-law Ruth, a loving and caring young woman, did turn to Yahweh with her whole heart!   God brought good out of that wrong decision to marry their sons to unsaved women, as Ruth came to saving faith.

Naomi’s life and witness were influential in bringing Ruth to salvation.  When Naomi decided to return to her people, she had urged both Ruth and Orpah to return to their Moabite families.  Ruth, now a believer, did not want to go back to a pagan culture and life.  She chose to stay with Naomi, and Naomi’s God.  Her faith was a true one, and was marked by forsaking her old life and embracing God’s people and promises.  Yahweh was not only for the Israelites.  If a foreigner, a Gentile like Ruth the Moabitess, came to Him in faith, He would accept them, too.

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she told her friends and family to no longer call her Naomi, a name which means “good” or “pleasant".   Instead she told them to call her Mara, which means “bitter”, as she felt that God had dealt bitterly with her.  She was choosing at that time to only see the tragedy in her life.  Yet God was going to bring good out of this.  If she would have chosen to look at the good, she would have remembered that Ruth had come with her.  If you read further in the book you will see how Ruth goes to work in the farm fields to earn a living for her and Naomi, thus saving them both from ruin.  Naomi didn’t have to do that herself, which she would have if Ruth hadn’t come.  Later when Ruth makes a good marriage, she brings Naomi into her new family, too.  Ruth loved her, and would not abandon her.  That was another goodness the Lord blessed her with.  She got to be, in a sense, a grandmother to Ruth’s children, which was another blessing for her.

The greatest goodness and blessing that the Lord brought from this tragedy was that Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David, and thus also in the family line of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, who would redeem all mankind from their sins.  Without the choices that were made, and without this tragedy happening, none of that would have happened.  Even in seasons of loss and uncertainty, God is quietly weaving redemption into the story.  God can, and does, bring good out of tragedy.

Mustard Seed Faith

Luke 17:5-10

Sometimes just a little can go a long way.  A gifted sculptor can take just a couple of pieces of what we might think is junk and craft a work of art.  My daughter and I often watch those cooking competition shows.  A talented chef can be given just a small box with a few ingredients and by the end of the show come up with a marvelous meal.  In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus tells us how if we have just a little of something, we can accomplish great things.  Let’s take a look.

Earlier in chapter 17, Jesus had been instructing the disciples about forgiveness, and how we need to forgive someone, even if they keep sinning against us seven times a day.  Seven times!!  That can seem rather overwhelming, so the disciples responded by asking Jesus to increase their faith (vs. 5).  Jesus answered them by teaching that if one has faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, one could say to the mulberry tree which was next to Him, to be pulled up and thrown into the sea, and it would be done (vs. 6).

When we pray to God, do we really have faith that He will answer?  Do we believe that He hears and will respond to our prayers, or are we just going through the motions with our prayers.  The mustard seed in this example that Jesus gave symbolizes genuine, living faith.  When we pray, we are not to trust in our own self-confidence, or get all worked up into a frenzy of emotionalism, but instead, we are to trust in God’s promises.  That is Who we are to have faith in.  Many of our problems can seemingly be as deep-rooted as a strong tree, and seem impossible to move.  However, having even mustard seed faith in Jesus can overcome even entrenched spiritual obstacles.

The size of one’s faith isn’t the most important thing.  Rather it is Who we have faith in.  If we have huge faith, but it’s in some other person, some humanistic philosophy, or a pagan deity, that will do us no good.  However, if we have just a little bit of faith, but it is in the Lord Jesus, that is all that will matter.

Jesus teaches us that faith is not about quantity, but about quality.  Even the smallest true faith, one that is rooted in God’s Word, is powerful.  One doesn’t need “more” faith.  What we need is real faith.  This faith comes to us by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  This faith is strengthened by obedience to God, by prayer, and by studying the Scriptures, not through emotional experiences.

The Lord Jesus then shifted to giving a brief, little parable about how a servant is to do his duty, referring to believers in service to God (vs. 7-10).  This short parable illustrates what our role before God is to be.  We are His servants, not entitled beneficiaries.  As what should be obvious to all, a servant should not expect to be praised for doing what is required of them.  They should simply obey their orders.  This actually goes against the modern mindset of entitlement that many people have for themselves and others.  As God’s Word says, obedience is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

How often do we forget our place before God!  Jesus reminds us here what that is.  A servant is supposed to serve.  It is not the master’s job to wait on the servant.  God is our Master and we are the servants.  We are creatures.  We are people much loved by God, but we are not God.  We have a Master who adopted us, who has made us to become children of God when we call upon Jesus.  However it is not something that is our due, something that God ought to be giving us.  It is what we have because of the love and mercy of Jesus (Mark 10:45).

We should be serving God out of gratitude, not for our own recognition, neither looking for reward or for applause.  These verses are a call to humility before God.  Our salvation is by grace, not through our own merit.  Our works do not earn favor from God.  They are the fruit of our faith, not the root.  Remember, God does not owe us anything, yet He graciously rewards faithfulness.  A true disciple will serve Him without expectation of reward.

As we look back on these short teachings that Jesus gave here, we learn that faith, even if it is small faith, if it is in the Lord God and not ourself or something else, it will be powerful.  Our faith can grow stronger through prayer and studying God’s Word, the Bible.  We can cultivate our faith by immersing ourselves in Scripture and trusting God’s promises.  We also learn here that believers are called to humble, faithful obedience.  We are unworthy servants.  Our obedience is our duty, not a basis for pride.  We exist to glorify God, not the other way around.

I Know Whom I Have Believed

II Timothy 1:1-14

Our New Testament reading for this week takes us into the book of II Timothy, which we will look at each week throughout the month of October.  Scripture contains two letters that the Apostle Paul wrote to his young protege, Timothy.  This second letter was written while Paul was in prison, shortly before he would be executed for his faith in the Lord Jesus.  Knowing that he would likely never see Timothy again, Paul gave him some godly guidance and encouragement.

Paul began this letter like he did most letters, either to various churches or to other people, with affirming his divine, apostolic calling (vs. 1).  He then proceeded to bless Timothy with the blessing that he also frequently gave to other churches, that of grace, mercy, and peace (vs 2).  Grace - something that God gives us that we do not deserve, all of the riches of Christ, including that of salvation.  Mercy - God withholding from us the punishment that we do deserve.  Peace - a gift from God that is an inner tranquility that surpasses human understanding, even in the middle of difficult circumstances.

Paul stated that he served God with a pure conscience (vs. 3).  He was not trying to imply that he felt he never sinned.  He knew that he, like all of us, sinned every day.  However, he made sure that when he became aware of any sins, he took care of them by confessing and repenting of them with God right away.  He did not let sins pile up in his conscience.  At any given time, Paul knew that his conscience before God would be pure.  We, too, should never let sins pile up in our conscience, but instead confess to God every day, maybe several times a day, so that we can have a pure conscience.

The Apostle also reminded Timothy of his godly heritage (vs. 5).  Both his grandmother and mother were believers, and as a young boy they had imparted godly teaching to him.  Be thankful to the Lord if you, too, have a godly heritage, and we all need to be sure that we are passing on a similar godly heritage to our children and grandchildren, just like Lois and Eunice.

God has given to every believer at least one spiritual gift (vs. 6).  Paul encouraged Timothy to stir up the gift that God had given him.  The Greek word that Paul used for “stir up” is “anazopyreo” which implies to kindle or to be fanning into a flame.  If you’ve ever started a fire in a fireplace or a camp fire, you know that the tiny flame you start with will need to be fanned into a bigger flame, to get the full fire going.  Paul didn’t want the gift that God had blessed Timothy with to go out like a tiny spark, but instead to be fanned into a full flame.  Like Timothy we need to keep our spiritual gifts stirred up into a full flame, too.

Timothy was a fairly young man, certainly under the age of forty, when Paul wrote this letter to him.  He was said to have been a more reserved and timid man, certainly not of an extroverted nature.  It is even possible that he might have had periodic anxiety.  Paul gave Timothy some words of encouragement in vs. 7.  He reminded the young man that fear is not from God.  Instead, He gives us power or spiritual boldness, love shown in selfless service to others, and a sound mind or disciplined thinking.  God doesn’t want us to live with ongoing anxiety.  Worry can become deeply ingrained in the way we think.  Anxiety takes our eyes off our omnipotent, loving heavenly Father, and focuses our attention on our circumstances.  These words of Paul are especially encouraging when we face opposition to our work for the Lord, or when we get discouraged.

When opposition comes, and it will as we serve the Lord, Paul encouraged Timothy to not shrink back in shame when he might face suffering (vs. 8).  Paul was not ashamed of anything he had suffered, and was suffering now as he sat in a wretched prison cell.  He had trust and faith in God (vs. 12).  Paul had a deep and strong relationship with the Lord Jesus, not just merely intellectual knowledge of doctrine, but a personal relationship.  He had committed his life to Him, and knew, truly believed, that God would keep him until the day that he would see Jesus face to face.

Paul encouraged Timothy to cling to “sound words” or doctrinal purity, protecting the Gospel message from false doctrines and heresies that were already creeping into the Church (vs 13-14).  We, too, need to be careful that the Gospel message we believe in is pure, and not corrupted by any of the myriads of false teachings that are in the world today.

As we close, let’s be sure that we aren’t letting our spiritual gifts lie dormant in us.  Rekindle them in service to the Lord Jesus.  Let’s also be sure that we are investing in the next generation with our children and grandchildren, or any other young person we have more than a passing contact with.  Speak boldly for Jesus, even when it costs you, and know that you can trust God with your future.  He is faithful to keep what you commit to Him.

When the Wicked Prosper

Psalm 37:1-11

A year ago we moved out of the Chicago area, moving a couple hundred miles south, right into the heart of farmland.  We moved to a much, much smaller village surrounded by cornfields.  I drive to the next village to get our little poodle’s hair cut every few months, and I drive past mile upon mile upon mile of cornfields.  As each successive month would go by I observed the progress of the growth of the corn, eventually getting 8-10 feet tall.  By early-to-mid September, the corn had been harvested and the stalks withered.  Then just a few weeks ago, while driving between the villages, I saw the large farm equipment out cutting down the dead stalks.  From 10 foot tall stalks of corn to withered, and then cut down, all in a matter of several weeks.  This cycle can apply to people, as well.  King David observed this, and used this picture to describe some issues that could cause some distress.  Let’s look into our Psalm and see what we can learn today.

How many times have we looked at some godless people, those who do any sort of wicked and evil things, and they just seem to prosper.  They do not hesitate to do anything, no matter if it is wrong or if it hurts others, if it will help them succeed and prosper.  Yet we, who follow God’s Word and obey Him, are barely putting food on our table.  It is so easy to get upset within ourselves over this seeming lack of fairness.  We might even be envious of their ease at getting anything they want.  David saw this perplexing problem, both with his friends and acquaintances, and within himself.  Thus, the Lord inspired him to write that we should not be worried or anxious about how the wicked prosper, and certainly not be envious of them.  God promises that they will not endure, but will be cut off like the grass.  They may seem like a tall corn stalk today, but by tomorrow they are withered, and the next day completely cut down (vs. 1-2).

God is the Judge.  The wicked may think they can continue living their life of sin, and of oppressing others, however a day of judgment is coming for them.  They may flourish briefly, but their end is destruction.  We should never be tempted to envy them.  They may be prospering today, but by tomorrow they are gone, just like withered grass.  Asaph said the same thing in his psalm (Psalm 73).

Instead of being envious of the wicked and their success, Christians should trust in God, and be obedient to His Word.  Faith and obedience are inseparable.  We should cultivate joy in God, not in our circumstances (vs. 3-4).  To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in discovering more about God, and following His will. When we spend time with the Lord, we learn what pleases Him,, and can pray for discernment to make wise decisions.  The Holy Spirit will then align our hearts desires with that of Scripture.  Doing this will set ourselves up to receive His blessings  (John 15:7).

When we commit our way to the Lord, we allow His will and Word to shape our thoughts, lifestyle, and goals (vs. 5).  We acknowledge God’s right to determine whether our longings fit His plans.  Commit means to roll our burden onto Him (I Peter 5:7).  We can entrust our plans, fears, and future to God.  He will act in His time.

As David continues, he reminds us that God will vindicate the righteous (vs. 6).  Justice may seem like it is delayed, but it is never denied.  We need to be patient.  Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.  David tells us to rest in the Lord (vs. 7).  Resting means having quiet confidence in God’s timing.  Evil may seem like it is winning, but we are instructed not to become filled with anger or wrath (vs. 8).  God promises that He will deal with these evildoers, that they will be judged (vs 9).

Next we see how David repeats that there will soon come a time that we look for these wicked, but they will be gone (vs. 10).  Just like those cornstalks, one day they are there, the next they are gone.  We need to keep an eternal perspective.  The wicked will vanish, but the righteous will remain.

We close with God’s promise that the meek will inherit the earth (vs. 11).  This echoes the teaching that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5).  Meekness is not the same as weakness.  Meekness is strength under control.  It is strength anchored in God’s promises.  As we close we need to remember that we don’t need to ever envy the wicked and their current prosperity.  Their end will come when God judges them.  Instead we should trust and delight in the Lord.  His justice is not always immediate, but it is always perfect.

Looking From God's Perspective

Habakkuk 1:1-13, 2:1-4

A little bug slowly crawls across a big canvas where a beautiful painting has been painted.  “I don’t know why these people call this painting beautiful!  It’s just a jumble of color.” the bug says to himself.  However, a person standing back and viewing the painting can see it like it truly is, a masterpiece.  Driving, or even walking on the streets of downtown Chicago can seem extremely chaotic.  However, when viewing the downtown streets from high above at a window of the Sears Tower, things seem to be moving smoothly.  Things can look much different when we look from a different perspective, a different viewpoint.  This can also be a problem when we look at troubles and difficulties in our own life, and we cry out to the Lord.  We are looking at them from one perspective, while He is seeing the whole picture.  This is the dilemma that the prophet Habakkuk had in our Scripture for today.

Not much is known about the prophet Habakkuk.  His ministry was to the southern kingdom of Judah, and likely during the reign of King Jehoiakim, around 609 - 598 B.C., shortly before the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of Jerusalem.  One thing that is unique about the Book of Habakkuk, is that it does not contain a record of his messages from the Lord to the people.  Instead, this book contains several dialogues that he had with God, filled with his puzzlement and confusion with what he sees going on in the world around him.

Like his fellow prophets, Habakkuk was distressed with the moral and spiritual condition of his fellow countrymen in Judah.  They were corrupt, and much injustice was happening throughout the land.  In addition, though they were outwardly giving lip-service to Yahweh, with the sacrifices continuing to be given in the Temple, and the Holy Days continuing to be observed, they were spiritually bankrupt.  The people worshiped false gods, mixing the worship of Yahweh with these demonic idols.  And now the prophet saw that the wicked Babylonian Empire to the east, who had brutally conquered many of the other nations around them, had now set their eyes on Judah, and his homeland’s destruction looked imminent.

As our Scripture begins, Habakkuk cried out to the Lord.  He does not understand what is going on, and he went to the Lord with his questions and puzzlement (vs. 1-4).   Though he knew that the people of Judah have deeply sinned against God, how could He allow an even worse country, one whose sins, wickedness, and evil were much greater, to come against them and triumph in battle and destruction?  Why didn’t God come to their rescue?

Habakkuk was not rebelling against God, but he was deeply troubled by the apparent delay in God bringing His justice and defense to His people.  His complaint was rooted in faith.  Habakkuk believed that God is just, which is why this seeming injustice was so troubling to him.  With their brutal destruction staring them in the face, instead of repenting and returning to the Lord, the people resorted to even more injustice and unrighteousness.

The Lord then brought His reply to Habakkuk’s cries (vs. 5-11).  He is not passive.  He isn’t just sitting up in heaven, impassively observing all that happens.  He was using the nation of Babylon to be an instrument of His to bring discipline upon His children.  God will judge the world for its sins against Him, but as we read in I Peter 4:17, judgment will start with God’s people.  Though they were very wicked, God used Babylon to discipline Judah.  This does not mean that He endorsed their evil, but He used them for His purposes.

Habakkuk was still troubled over this (vs. 12-13).  He knew that God was pure and just, which was why seeing such an evil nation as Babylon be victorious over them was so perplexing.  Why would a holy God use a more wicked nation to judge His own people?  Through all of this, though, Habakkuk didn’t abandon his faith, he just wrestled with it.  With this in mind, the prophet just positioned himself to watch and wait, and see what God would ultimately do (2:1-4).  He knew that God’s promises were always sure, though he might have to wait a while.

Today, believers may feel similarly when evil seems to prosper.  As we see with the prophet Habakkuk, it is not wrong to bring our questions to God, if done in a respectful and honest way.  Faith wrestles, but it doesn’t walk away.  As we have seen, God may use unexpected or even uncomfortable means to accomplish His will.  We must trust His purposes, even when they may seem difficult.  We are like the bug on the painting, or the person caught in hectic traffic.  God sees the whole picture when we don’t.

When God’s actions seem confusing, we must anchor ourselves in what we know to be true in God’s character.  His holiness and justice are never compromised.  God is always working, even through judgment.  His purposes are redemptive, even when they involve discipline.  In times of uncertainty, which we see so much of today, as Christians we are called to live by faith, not by sight.  This is not blind optimism, but confident trust in God’s Word.  We can cling to and confidently hang on to God’s promises.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Today’s Scripture is one that for many Christians might be familiar, and to others it might be brand new.  It is the account of two men, two men who were completely opposite in the conditions of their life while here on earth, and then also completely opposite in their life after death.  Let’s take a look at these two men.

As we begin, Jesus is telling His audience about these men.  Some Bible scholars believe that this is not a parable, a story that Jesus made up to teach His disciples and the folks in general some spiritual lessons.  They believe that Jesus was referring to two actual people.  Jesus, being the divine Son of God, would know what would have happened to them in the afterlife.  Either way, the lessons that He taught in this Scripture passage are real, and are eternally important.

The first person we are introduced to is a rich man.  He lives in a nice house surrounded by a gate.  He wears elegant clothes and dines luxuriously every day (vs. 19).  The other man, who is named Lazarus, is just the opposite.  He is a poor beggar, who is sickly and sits to beg just outside this rich man’s gate.  (He is not the same Lazarus who was brother to Mary and Martha, and whom Jesus raised from the dead).  He was desperately poor, he was sick, and he lived on the tossed out crumbs people gave him (vs. 20-21).  Though they lived a stone’s throw from each other, they couldn’t have been farther apart in life.  The sad part is that in all that time, the rich man gave no thought to the welfare of Lazarus.

Jesus continues on by saying that Lazarus died, and he was immediately taken to Abraham’s bosom.  That was a place of comfort and fellowship for the righteous who died before Jesus’ resurrection.  After His resurrection, Jesus then opened the gates of heaven for these believers.  Jesus recounted how the rich man also died, and went immediately to Hades, another name for hell, where he was in torment (vs. 22-23).  This is not symbolic, as some might teach.  This is a literal depiction of what happens after death - one goes either to heaven or to hell.  The rich man’s torment is conscious, physical, and irreversible.

While in hell, the rich man can see that Lazarus is in paradise.  He begs for relief, but as Abraham explained, there is a chasm between the saved and the lost, and no one can cross either way.  He then begs for Lazarus to go and warn his brothers.  The answer he receives is that they have Moses and the prophets to warn them, in other words, they have the Bible, which they should read and believe (vs. 24-31).  Even a resurrection won’t convince those who reject God’s Word, including the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  We see this very plainly today!

As we read in this Scripture, there is no second chance after death.  One’s eternal destiny is sealed at death, and it is based solely on one’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have accepted Him as your personal Savior, then you will spend eternity with Him in the glories of heaven.  If you have not accepted Jesus, then there is an eternity of suffering in hell.  We are also told here that the Scriptures, the Bible, is sufficient for salvation.  Miracles don’t override unbelief that is rooted in rebellion.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The rich man discovered too late that his riches and comfort were only temporary.  After death he experienced the consequences of his choices, that his choices in life led to eternal separation from God.  He wasn’t judged because of his wealth.  His mistake was that he prepared everything for the body, but nothing for his soul.  Obviously at some point in his miserable life, Lazarus must have turned to God in belief.  We don’t know the circumstances, nor why he had become so poor.  It is not for us to judge.  However, Lazarus had faith and trust in God, where the rich man did not.

As we look back over this Scripture, we learn that hell is real, that one is conscious there, and it is eternal.  The choices that we make while here on earth reflect our spiritual condition, and will determine where we spend eternity.  Once someone is dead, there is no crossing over from one realm to the next.  All decisions about where you spend eternity must be made now.  God’s Word is enough to lead one to salvation.

Knowing this, for believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is so important to be sharing the Gospel now.  Tomorrow may be too late for some people.  The rich man was certainly not expecting to die the day he did.  We all should be living with eternity in view.  Comfort now does not guarantee that there will be comfort later.  Also, we need to be sure that we are prioritizing God’s Word.  It is the only light in this dark world.

A Good Confession

I Timothy 6:11-19

If you had to, for whatever reason, give a report to the authorities for your behavior, what would they find?  Would you be able to give a good report of yourself, a “good confession”, or would there be some noticeable blotches?  In our Scripture today from Paul’s first letter to his protege, Timothy, as he is finishing up this letter, he exhorts Timothy to continue living a godly life and flee worldly temptations.  Let’s look into what the Lord has to say in this segment of Scripture, and what we can apply to our lives today.

As we begin, Paul was instructing Timothy to avoid “these things” (vs. 11).  What were “these things”?  If we quickly look back a few verses, we read how Paul was teaching against having a love of money, but instead to be content with what one has. He had also spoken against being argumentative and prideful.  Instead, Paul encourages Timothy to be living a godly life, one filled with faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  Our lifestyle is to be distinct from that of the worldly and unsaved people.  We are to flee from sin, not tolerate it, and instead be pursuing, chasing after a virtuous life.

Next we are encouraged to fight the good fight of faith (vs. 12).  The word “fight” here is the Greek word “agonizomai”, from which we get the word agony.  It means to contend with adversaries, to struggle strenuously, with difficulty and danger.  We are not primarily fighting against people, though sometimes they are our adversaries.  We are in a spiritual warfare against the forces of evil, against Satan and his demons.  The Christian life is one of warfare against evil, not a life of ease.  Spiritual warfare requires discipline, not passivity.  Fighting the good fight is a battle carried out by holding fast to the truth, both in word and in action.

We need to act in accordance with our confession of faith.  The best way to do this is to avoid even getting close to sin, or by flirting with sin.  Our lives are infinitely better when we avoid the dangers that sinful behavior can bring.  This way we will be glorifying the Savior and making a good witness to our neighbors.  When we realize all that Jesus did for us, we should want to do all we can to thank and praise the One who gave His life for us, especially by avoiding sinful behavior.

In all of this Jesus is our example.  He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, after He had been arrested by the High Priest and Jewish Sanhedrin.  As Paul states, Jesus gave a good confession before him (vs. 13).  As Pontius Pilate stated before the crowds, he found no fault in Jesus, nothing worthy of death or even his condemnation (John 19:4).   We are reminded that one day, He will be returning, this time declaring that He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, immortal, and dwelling in unapproachable light (vs. 14-16).  Knowing that Jesus will return, and it could be at any time, should motivate us to live in holiness and with boldness in our faith.

As Paul continues in this Scripture, he gives instructions to those who are rich (vs. 17-19).  The Bible does not condemn wealth, in and of itself.  There were many very godly people in the Bible who were wealthy, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However it does condemn trusting in money and wealth.  As we all see in this world, riches are uncertain.  The economy goes up and down, and one day someone can have nice, fat financial accounts, and then the economy crashes, and they have nothing.  However God remains the same, and He is the only sure foundation.

Instead of being concerned about having monetary wealth, Christians should be focusing on being rich in good works for others.  God has given us whatever we have, including money, and we need to be a good steward of that.  Use whatever He has given us to have an eternal impact, not just to make our life more comfortable.  All of our earthly possessions will prove to be worthless on Judgment Day.  Paul’s words here remind us of what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21).  We need to be laying up treasures in heaven, not here on earth.  Those true riches are eternal.  Whether we are rich or poor, our hope must be in God.

As we close this brief study of the final words that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy in this letter, let’s remember to use whatever God has given us, especially any financial blessings we have, to further bless His Church, our fellow believers, and anyone else we have an opportunity to help.  In addition, let’s be sure that our life is showing a good confession of our faith, just as Jesus did before Pontius Pilate.  Fleeing sin and pursuing holiness is the mark of a true believer.  How does your behavior measure up?  Follow God’s Word, and be bold in your confession of faith.