Monday 30 Apr 2018

April 30: 2 Timothy 1:6-8

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Devotion:
Paul wrote this letter to Timothy while he was in Ephesus. What it shows us is an encouraging set of instructions written from on Christian to another. We need to be like Paul as we reach out to other Christian and encourage them in their own walk with God. Now, we are all made different and we will live different lives; we also live with Christ in different ways so our own walk will be different, but the principals should fall in line with the gospel.

Each of us will face hardships and come up against things which are going to discourage us in our lives with God; as we face things which go wrong we start to think whether we have things right, whether we have made mistakes or whether we are in the right place. God calls each one of us to do His will in different ways and in diverse places. He does not call us out to go and rest in a corner and watch the world go by!

The steps God has taken to make sure we have all the support we need are just amazing! He gives us all we need to get to know Him in the bible. He gave us His Son to die as our sacrifice, so we will be safe from an eternal death. Then He steps forward and gives us the Holy Spirit as our daily guide, protector and power so we can walk through all the stuff life throws at us and keep on going, uplifting the gospel as we go and showing how self-discipline can make us better examples for Him!

So, don’t be ashamed of what is written down. It is God’s instructions for us to live by and with. It shows us His incredible love for us, demonstrating many wonders and even some horrors. We live in a very messed up word, torn apart from evil and messed up people. But with Christ in us and the Holy Spirit guiding us, we can live a different life as He gives us the self-discipline to live it. Trust Him and live with Him!

Points to Ponder:
Do you find life difficult?

Are you willing to fully trust in God?