Read 2 Timothy 3
British teacher Olive Jones offered to pray for an ill student, but the student declined and Jones did not pray aloud. That seemed to be the end of it—until Jones discovered that the student’s mother filed a complaint that Jones had bullied her daughter, and she was fired. A director of the Christian Legal Centre said, “Olive Jones had compassion for her pupil and finds herself without a job because she expressed the hope that comes with faith.”
Frequently, the culture around us opposes Christian values—and this has been true since the birth of the church. Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy while he was incarcerated in Rome. When he described opposition and persecution, he wasn’t being theoretical or abstract—he had experienced tremendous suffering (vv. 10–11).
When we think about our identity in Christ, we can easily focus only on aspects such as life and freedom and blessing. But our reading today reminds us that the gospel and followers of Christ face real opposition from those who want to pursue their own desires and agenda (v. 8). The first verses in this chapter describe our day: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy . . .” and the list goes on (v. 2).
In contrast, those in Christ should be known, like the apostle Paul, for their way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance (v. 10). But never think that this inoculates us against persecution. We do not pursue godliness in order to have an easy life. Our identity of being in Christ threatens the power structures and status quo of the world, and we should not be surprised when standing firm for the Lord means we pay a price.
APPLY THE WORD
Sometimes being known for our faith and love will cost us popularity or career advancement. Millions of Christians face social exclusion, torture, and death for identifying with Jesus. Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Sudan, North Korea, and Iran. Pray for God to strengthen them, and pray that your courage in Christ would grow.
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