Tuesday 6 Aug 2013

Tuesday Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2:13
13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Devotion:
Paul fought daily to ensure that people heard the truth; that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again on the third day. Despite all the suffering he went through, Paul continued to make sure the truth was told, even when it meant that he was in put in prison for daring to tell people of his Messiah! How we fail in comparison to him even though we do not have to fear death or prison in most places in the world – we still fall very short of what Paul was doing every day.

Because he remembered just what Christ went through, Paul did not count his suffering as anything in comparison. Paul knew that Christ had foretold of His own suffering and that He had been willing to go to that cross even though He knew what was coming. Paul’s attitude was therefore that he should not have to worry about anything that could be done to him; instead he praised God for the sufferings that he went through knowing that it would lead to God’s glory. He knew he was safe because of the promise Christ had made that all who believe would be saved. So why should he worry about what the world could do to him.

Christ knew who would come to Him and He knew who would not. Because of those that He knew would come to Him, He continued toward that cross without faltering. He knew that his own life meant nothing in comparison to what Christ was giving him in return; so dying for Christ’s sake could be nothing other than a fulfilling of the promises of God. When we look at it that way then we should not fear what the world can do either.

What we should fear is what has been promised if we dare not to believe in the truth. Christ has made sure that the truth is being told around the world so that every one of us has the chance of hearing that truth and of accepting it. If we make the choice of discarding that truth for a lie instead, then we have just made our choice to not believe the promises of God. What we will find out is that His promise to deny us will still stand. Even if we do not believe the truth, Christ cannot and will not discard the truth…

Points to Ponder:
Does the truth become a lie if you cannot see it?

God believes His own Word, should we not too?