TITUS REMEMBERED ON CRETE Although it is uncertain when the apostle Paul visited the island of Crete, that he did visit it, and that he left Titus behind to establish its church, is a matter of history. Paul’s pattern would have been to do this work himself, but some pressing concern must have caused him
FULFILLING THE MINISTRY GOD HAS GIVEN YOU As Paul faced the real possibility of execution for preaching the gospel, he gave final instructions to Timothy. He wanted Timothy to be unafraid of suffering and willing to work hard for the sake of the Good News. Like a captain issuing orders to one of his men,
DOES GOD HAVE A WORD FOR YOU? After giving prophecies for the Jewish remnant and the nations surrounding Israel, God gave Jeremiah a specific message for his assistant, Baruch. Jeremiah may have been God’s mouthpiece, but Baruch was his pen. For he had written down every word that Jeremiah dictated to him from the Lord.
CHRIST OUR STRENGTH Paul’s second epistle to Timothy is a letter of encouragement from a father to his spiritual son. The affection Paul has for Timothy is evident, yet so is his desire to see him strengthened in the Lord. Paul had learned to depend on the grace he received from abiding in Christ to
MAINTAINING YOUR PASSION FOR MINISTRY This is the second letter the apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son in the Lord, Timothy. Here, we see Paul boldly reminding Timothy, as a father would a son, to take personal responsibility for his own spiritual passion. He reminded Timothy of his calling into the ministry and the
TRUST GOD, USE MONEY Those who are rich in worldly wealth are tempted to trust their money, rather than God. They end up reversing the biblical admonition by trusting money and using God. As a result, many of them will “wander from the true faith and pierce themselves with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). Money
WHO CAN APPROACH THE THRONE OF GOD? The throne of a human king or judge is elevated by wood or stone and often ornamented by gold and silver to suggest their authority and judgment. But the foundation of the Lord’s throne is “righteousness and justice.” His throne is elevated by His character, which is pure
THE VALUE OF SPIRITUAL TRAINING We are born with a body, yet physical training is necessary to build it up. Similarly, when we are born again, we are made alive spiritually, yet we are called to “work out” what God is “working in” us (see Phil. 2:12-13). Both the physical life and this new spiritual
THE PERSISTENT PRAYER FOR GOD’S PRESENCE The Lord is the God of salvation. Yet it is by placing our faith in His Son, Christ Jesus, that we are able to call Him “my” salvation. In Christ, we that were far away, have now been brought near. Although we may feel at times as the psalmist
JEREMIAH’S SWEET DREAM While Jeremiah slept, the Lord spoke to him in a prophetic dream of the coming Messiah and of a future time of joy and peace for Jerusalem. When he awoke, he remembered every word the Lord had said and he regarded his sleep as being so very sweet that he no doubt