Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: 2 Timothy 4

  • Weekly devotional: Finishing the race (14 in Paul’s letters to Timothy series)

    A start and finish line.

    I should have posted this final devotional in the 1 and 2 Timothy series long ago! Odd to be doing so at the beginning of January, when it’s time for a fresh start, but life can be like that, can’t it. Sometimes we have to finish off the old things before we can embrace the new. Happy new year!

    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).

    When one of my mentors died, I saw it as a severe mercy. Never filled with glowing good health, and longing for heaven, she felt she had come to the end of her earthly life. She had completed her mission – having passed over her Christian organization to other gifted people – and was ready to die. I imagine she could have echoed with Paul about having been “poured out like a drink offering” as the time for her departure grew near.

    When he was writing this letter, Paul must have known that he wouldn’t escape imprisonment and that he would soon be executed. He again employs the language of an athlete as he says he’s finished the race and fought the good fight, and that soon he will receive the crown of righteousness. He seems content even though his earthly life is drawing to a close.

    As we conclude our fortnight with Paul, with him writing right before his death, consider how in our culture we often do all that we can to avoid thinking about dying – including employing such terms as someone has “passed away” or “gone to be with Jesus.” We may feel ambivalent about dying, or would be sad to not fulfil our dreams if we were to die soon. But we can ask the Lord for peace and reassurance, and that like Paul, we’ll one day be able to echo that we’ve run the good race and finished our mission. May it be so.

    For reflection: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

    You can find the rest of this series on 1 and 2 Timothy here.

  • Weekly devotional: Preach the word (13 in Paul’s letters to Timothy series)

    Raphael Study for St Paul Preaching in Athens

    In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry (2 Timothy 4:1–5).

    As we come to the end of Paul’s letter, he lays out his final commands to Timothy, underlining their importance as he calls upon the Father and Son as his witnesses. His exhortations reflect his understanding that Timothy in his ministry will again encounter false teaching – he is to preach, be prepared, correct, rebuke, encourage. As we saw earlier, Timothy should do this with love – with great patience.

    “Keep your head,” Paul says. A simple charge, but one we all should heed, for when we lose our cool, we can descend into words we shouldn’t speak and actions we should avoid. Anger can turn into bitterness and rage as we lose our self-control, which can quickly negate our good work of sharing the gospel. I think with shame of the times when I have lost my cool.

    Instead, taking Paul’s advice, we can be prepared “in season and out,” training ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to exercise self-control in times of ease and abundance, so that later in moments or seasons of stress and hardship, our character reflects Christ.

    My prayer is that we would be given great patience, and great love.

    Lord God, may our teachers bring you glory with sound teaching, winsome words and a deep reservoir of patience, and may we love to learn.