2 Timothy 1:8-12 - “Sharing in suffering…for the gospel.”

Things weren’t easy for Timothy. It wasn’t easy to follow a crucified Lord. It wasn’t easy to serve an imprisoned apostle. In order to lead and serve his church, Timothy needed to be settled in his heart and steeled in his mind that suffering was part of God’s plan for this season. 

What Timothy needed to personally receive and apply are the same things we need to receive and apply in our lives today. God has given us grace and mercy and peace. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has gifted to us power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

How valuable is a sound mind? How valuable is a mind that is not tossed by the wind or waves? How precious is a mind that isn’t troubled by news articles, sound bites, or the fear of suffering? How priceless is a mind secure in the grace, mercy, peace, love, and power of Jesus? 

Those are questions we considered in our study of 2 Timothy 1:8-12. Through Paul’s letter to Timothy, we learn how a sound mind can allow us to stare suffering in the face and still serve courageously and faithfully because we know that suffering isn’t the end of the story. And believing this in the face of unimaginable, unavoidable, and even unjust suffering is vitally important.

​We look forward to spending another Sunday morning together online at 10am this Sunday on our YouTube channel. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.