Today’s Thoughts – 3 December 2020
By T. S. Candee on December 3, 2020 in Second Timothy Thoughts
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
Now that we know that God gives us power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), we are exhorted to not be ashamed of the gospel. We are reminded that God had a plan before the world began to send His only Son to pay our price and to save us from our sins.
But, God hasn’t just saved us to live, He’s saved us to serve. He’s called us to “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18), meaning that we are to share the Good News with others. However, if we are “ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,” how can we be a minister of reconciliation?
The best cure for being ashamed of the gospel is to remember that it is not because of you that you are saved. It’s 100% because of God and Christ that we are saved. It’s not by our works that we are saved, but by God’s wonderful grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). And through God’s grace, He has a purpose for our life – a purpose that he set down before the foundations of the world.
The plan of salvation through grace was revealed with the appearance of Jesus Christ. And by His suffering and ultimate death on the cross, He abolished death! Subsequently, by His resurrection, he became victorious over death and sin and brought life and immortality to us! What a glorious testimony!
And yet, we are ashamed of such a testimony? Let this not be! Instead, let us realize that by Christ’s victory at Calvary, we have nothing to fear (2 Timothy 1:7). We can be ministers of reconciliation and share the gospel with others because we know that we have life and will live forever with Christ in heaven one day.
