Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Tuesday after the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-18 (NKJV)

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, a beloved son:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

16 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 18 The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

Devotion

Our Lord Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. Therefore, our hope in this life is always centered on our eternal home in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus won for us our citizenship in Heaven through His suffering and death on the cross. This is the way of the Christian as well. The rewards of salvation are given through suffering.

We suffer in this life not only on account of our sin and the consequences of sin in this life, but our enemies of the devil, the world, and our flesh also seek our demise daily. St. Paul reminds St. Timothy that he will endure suffering from this world on account of his preaching the Gospel; for preaching that the Lord Jesus defeated death.

This message is still mocked today by those who refuse to believe. And those of us who believe in life everlasting are mocked as uneducated fools. But, the wisdom of the world is true foolishness. For, the testimony of the Lord is true. And the preaching that St. Paul, St. Timothy, and every faithful preacher has proclaimed up to the present is still the truth. Our Lord Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. And those of us who hold fast to this promise in faith, will gain an everlasting crown. Thanks be to God!

We pray: Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual mercy; and because the frailty of man without Thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by Thy help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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