Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 2:11 

“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;” – 2 Timothy 2:11  

This past week, I have been in the little town of Puyallup, Washington where I was making preparations for the burial of my mother who passed away on January 28^th around midnight.  She had developed pneumonia in both her lungs and was unable to fight it off.  I left early on the 29^th arriving at my hotel around 9:30 PM Pacific time.  There was a lot to do. I had to go to the funeral home several times and the cemetery to work out what was needed in order to prepare for the actual burial, then visit the assisted living facility where she lived for several years to retrieve anything that would be of value for the family.  There was not much left, for my mom had already given away everything she had, except for several personal items and any pertinent paperwork.   

I already knew she was going downhill, but did not expect her to pass so quickly, so when I received the call from my Aunt, it did take me by surprise.  I will say this past week was difficult. Along with the sadness of losing my mother, the area has changed so much since my last trip there in 1994.  I will admit I got lost several times, and if it was not for the map app on my phone, it would have been much worse.  And what with the three-hour difference, I did not sleep as much as I needed.  But God was gracious as He always is.  After everything was done, and I was able to finally rest, I was taken out to lunch on Sunday by an old friend from High School who I had not seen in forty-five years.  He saw my post on a social media site and contacted me.  After lunch, he and his wife invited me over to their house to watch the Super Bowl.  I really needed this down time.  He is a graduate from a Lutheran seminary, and we spent hours discussing theology and philosophy, something we absolutely love to do, and it felt so good to just relax and focus on God and His scriptures.

Now that I am back and I have caught up on my sleep, God brought this focus verse to my mind and comforted me with these words.  Paul is in essence saying that if we die as a true Christian, we will not remain dead, but we will live with Christ for ever with no end.  And looking at the next verse, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; ” 2 Timothy 2:12.  If we live our life totally devoted to Him, then we will also reign with Him.  However, if we do not, if we compromise, then He will deny us for our compromising in our Christian walk is a type of denial of Him, for we are not totally devoted to Him. 

I know my mother loved God and was a Christian.  She was a very difficult person in the later years of her life, but I attribute this to her never getting over the death of my dad.  She did read her Bible and pray every day.  When I called her, she would always make references to God at least once during our conversation.  I know this is not all we are to do, but with her physical and mental issues, that told me she still had faith in Christ.  And therefore, I believe she, as our focus verse says, will also live with Him, and I shall see her again. 

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