Loving God, bless the life of this dear reader in whatever challenges and opportunies may come their way today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Here is our text for today: 2 Timothy 1: 1 I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God's plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus. 2 I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much. All the best from our God and Christ be yours! 3 Every time I say your name in prayer - which is practically all the time - I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. 4 I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion. 5 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith - and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! 6 And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze! 7 God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. 8 So don't be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, 9 who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. 10 But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. 11 This is the Message I've been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. 12 It's also the cause of all this trouble I'm in. But I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground - the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end. 13 So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It's as sound as the day you first heard it from me. 14 Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
Will shyness be the death of the Christian faith? Or will it be more sinister reasons? Or will it be apathy? In today's passage Paul is writing to a young disciple, a believer whose faith came, not through the shy faith of the first women in his life, on the contrary, it was their boldness in Jesus that helped him come to faith. Paul mentions a grandmother names Lois and a mother names Eunice, whose example touched the life of this young boy and allowed him to become a believer. Paul doesn't mention a grandfather or father and we don't know the reason for that neglect. I have my suspicions as may you, but for now we celebrate those loving parents and grandparents whose lives are so bold, so loving, and yes, so sensible, that they touch others. And how difficult is it to proclaim as Paul sums up this great faith: "death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus." Lois, Eunice, and Timothy knew it, and because they told others, you and I know it now. Who are you sharing this with?
Paul never had regrets about his faith for he knew that the One in whom he trusted could be trusted. And so should we!
PRAYER: Loving God, help me today be a bold, loving and sensible witness to the great faith that we have, that You defeated death, and that our lives are worth living in a positive way. May we shine brightly to those around us, especially the children, so that our faith in You will never die and we'll see new believers come to You daily. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
