2 Timothy 1:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 1:7 

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7       

The apostle Paul is writing to Timothy, a young man called to work within the Church in Ephesus.  “To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.” 1 Timothy 1:2-4.  Paul left him there to instruct certain men not to teach heresy. 

In the writing of the second letter, Paul is encouraging Timothy to remain strong and resolute in his faith.  “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”  He grew up in a family of faith, both with his mother Eunice and Grandmother Lois.  Paul knew Timothy had sincere faith, however, as a young man it appears there were things that held him back.  He had some reluctance , no doubt due to the message he was giving to the men regarding false teachings and the feedback he must have received.  Paul though tells him, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6. He must have felt some reluctance in declaring this message, however, Paul tells him to stir up once again the gift of God.  And this gift from God was the Spirit of God. 

Now, Paul goes on to declare that this gift was not a spirit of timidity or fear.  There was no reason to experience this because the Holy Spirit would grant him the power to encounter foes and dangers, as well as to combat those who no doubt came against him as he was fulfilling the calling Paul gave him to declare to those in Ephesus regarding not teaching false doctrine.  He was not to back down, but through the power of God working in him, he was to declare boldly the truth to all, even those who did not want to hear what he was saying.  And also, the Spirit would aid him in doing all this in love.  John explains this in 1 John, where he states, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18.  There is no fear in love, actually, true love casts out fear.  If Timothy truly loves God, which he does, this love  will cast out fear because He will protect him and be there in whatever he is called to do. And the Spirit will guide him such that he will be shown how to do all with discretion and wisdom. 

Now, this promise was not just for Timothy, but it is for us as well.  We must be bold and declare the truth, correcting where necessary, doing the work of the Lord through the power of God’s Spirit, not being timid but with love, declaring the truth.  Paul suffered much during his ministry, but in boldness, preached Christ wherever he went.  We may feel reluctance as Timothy did, but we also must apply the same words that Paul spoke to Timothy.  We must kindle afresh the gift of God in our lives and allow Him to do His work in us.  For as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 4:18-19

Verse of the Day – Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” – Luke 4:18-19 (NLT)

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue and was handed the scroll of Isaiah where he specifically looked for this verse so he could read about himself. Here, in this moment, Jesus summed up the result of his putting on flesh and coming down to earth. He told Nicodemus in John 3:17 that his purpose was to save the world and not to condemn it, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (NIV) but here he is telling the people in Nazareth what the result would be and what that would look like.

It should be noted the word for world in the Greek is Kosmos which means the entirety of sentient life.

I love the nuance used here and revealed in the NLT vs other translations. Jesus isn’t just making an empty campaign promise, that under his rule he wants X and Y to happen. But instead a direct result of his presence here on earth will lead to captives being released, the blind seeing, and the oppressed to be set free. In the Greek the word for “captives” literally means people who have been captured in contrast to that “the oppressed” being spoke of are people who have been broken, shattered, and shivering as a result of being crushed by the cruelty of their oppressors.

God makes five promises that apply in different ways to the spiritual self and the physical self:

1st: When you’ve been reduced to a lowly state, when you’re spiritually and physically bankrupt, begging for help, God has good news for you. Jesus uses the word, Euangelizo, which to the original audience would have been associated as a message from the Ceasars letting the people know that that the Ceasar had brought peace, freedom, justice, and prosperity to his new empire. Jesus is providing hope to people who may have lost it.

2nd: Whether you’re a captive to your sin or a literal captive for whatever reason. You will be released. Jesus doesn’t state when it will happen, or that it has already happened, he promises that you will be released from it. I think this works a lot like the season aspect that I wrote about earlier.

3rd: I can’t help but be reminded of the lyrics of Amazing Grace, “I once was blind, but now I see.” when I think about spiritual blindness and of course, there’s the physical healing and restoration of sight that God is able to do and still does today!

4th: I love how Jesus is constantly reminding us that there are people under an oppression that isn’t captivity. This type of oppression is more insidious, in my opinion, because it has a pretense of freedom. Jesus is telling us however, that no matter what you go through, no matter what has been done to you, no matter what has happened to break your spirits, there is hope. This is definitely a But God situation. Jesus is here to proclaim that Jonah 2:6 is still relevant to us today, “I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” (NLT)

5th: is the statement that because of Jesus’s arrival here on earth, the time of the Lord’s favor is available to us. We don’t have to do anything to receive this. If you’re a Christian, Jesus has already arrived and we don’t have to or send any gifts to preachers on TV to attain the favor of the Lord. And we will probably never fully understand the many ways in which this favor manifests itself but we can trust that it exists.

There’s so much more to unpack from this verse and there have been numerous books written about it. But for now, just remember what Jesus said when he closed up the scroll: “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

– Christiaan