“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” That’s a quote from Helen Keller, and she understood something Apostle Paul knew well in his Roman prison cell. We need friends. In 2 Timothy 4, the great apostle, church planter, theologian, missionary to nations, who seemed almost superhuman, begins…

One of my kids’ favorite singers is Noah Kahan. Do you know him? He’s a sort of folk-pop singer and has several good songs, one of which is called “Stick Season.” With all the pines around here, we don’t really have a stick season, but up in Vermont, where Kahan is from, they sure do.…

Have you noticed that wolves rarely face the herd straight on and go after the strongest member of the herd? No, they creep in from the side and target the most vulnerable. It’s the same way with false teachers. They rarely announce themselves at the front door. Instead, they creep in from the side, targeting…

Every faithful follower of God wants to make the most of the opportunities God has given them to serve. They want to make a real difference, to be handed real work. We want to be useful to God. But it’s important to understand that usefulness isn’t automatic. It’s determined by how we show up for…

Have you ever had that sinking feeling of dread as you stood facing something that you were totally unprepared for? That test, that talk, that emergency, you felt like you had nothing to offer but panic. And why did you feel that way? Because you had not done what was needed to be ready for…

Some hills are worth dying on. The deity of Christ. The authority of Scripture. The gospel itself. These are worth arguing over. But not every hill is one of them. Apostle Paul warns Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 2: “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which…

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Tertullian, the early church father who wrote that famous quote, saw centuries ago that persecution doesn’t extinguish the gospel but only plants it deeper. Those who hate Christianity have always believed suffering would silence it. Chain the preacher, and the message dies with him.…

Is the faith that you have a trophy or a baton? Apostle Paul writes to Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 2: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be…

Do you have a gift from God that you are letting get cold? Apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 with an urgent charge: “Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.” The word picture is so vivid, like fanning dying embers around the campfire back into flame. Timothy had…

Can you name the person whose faith helped make yours possible? Apostle Paul opens the letter we know as 2 Timothy not with strategy, but with a name and description: “To Timothy, my beloved child.” Before there’s ministry instruction, there’s relationship. Paul thanks God for Timothy “night and day,” longing to see him, remembering his…