Scripture to Read: 2 Timothy 3:10-11
As God continues to use Paul to encourage Timothy and us, today we find the reminder of making sure we follow the examples of godly believers who have gone before us. God used Paul in Timothy’s life to teach Timothy how to walk with our Lord. Timothy watched Paul’s conduct, and Timothy saw Paul fulfilling God’s purpose in the way Paul lived. Timothy saw the faith of Paul being lived out through the battles they faced from those who came against them. Timothy observed the patience of Paul through the tests and trials of life. Timothy saw how Paul loved others and shared his life with others so they would come to know Christ as Lord. Timothy observed the perseverance of Paul through the persecution and sufferings Paul faced. God desires us to follow people who we can observe as they walk in these same God-given attributes in their lives. God also wants us to so passionately pursue Him and His Word that we live our lives in such a way that we are the same kind of example to others as Paul was to Timothy. Though Paul walked through persecutions and sufferings when he was in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the good news is that God rescued Paul from all of them. Though Paul was writing this letter from prison because he shared the gospel of Christ with others, Paul chose to focus on how God delivered him from those other sufferings and not on his circumstances when he was writing this letter. We must do the same thing.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you about who you ought to follow and how you ought to be an example to others?
2. How are you investing in others so they clearly see the evidence of Christ’s transformational work in your life?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!