2 Timothy 2:8-12a Do Not Be Ashamed.

Observation: This letter is addressed from Paul to Timothy, a young pastor in the early generations of the church. Timothy is facing what church leaders have faced since the very beginning: struggling against false teachings, and trying to remain faithful to Christ even when it seems he is alone. Paul tells him: "Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join me in suffering, relying on the power of God". 

Application: This really reminds me of a great song by MercyMe called "Greater". 

"Every day I struggle with the voices that keep telling me I'm not right

That's alright

Cause I hear a voice and he calls me redeemed

when others say I'll never be enough

Greater is the one who is inside of me

than he who is living in the world"

When life gets tough, I tend to default to shame. I tend to assume I'm doing something wrong. 

"I've bungled it up, I've stepped on someone's toes, I've hurt someone's feelings, I should have planned better, I should have executed better, I should have been smarter, etc., etc., etc...."

And sometimes I am absolutely to blame for difficulties I face. No argument there. I'm not perfect. God calls us as we are, foibles and all, and forgives us along the way.

But other times, I need to remember what Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." I need to accept Paul's invitation to "join me in suffering, relying on the power of God."

See, sometimes we're going through a hard time precisely because we're doing something right. Sometimes, when we are being faithful in following Jesus and his message, there will be resistance. 

Scratch that. Not sometimes. Always. There will always be resistance, in a self-centered world, to a Christ-centered life. Who we are, what we say and what we do challenges the judgmental, capitalistic, competitive, hierarchical way our world chooses to organize itself. Just living life as a disciple of Christ is an affront to the world, and the world will not take that lying down.

Some of what I'm talking about is relational: that we will occasionally say things that offend people, or that they don't want to hear, and we'll have to deal with the fallout from that. But, without going too supernatural, some of it in my experience is situational. Sometimes, difficulties and headaches will arise, seemingly by coincidence, when you are on the right track, about to attempt something big--or rather, when God is about to do something big through you. In those situations, Paul's words should ring true: "Don't be ashamed." It's not your problem. It's Satan's problem. 

Prayer: God, help me to join my fellow disciples today, in bearing the challenges we face for your sake. Help me not to be ashamed, or too hard on myself, when things seem to go awry. Be my north star, to navigate when the winds pick up and stuff gets confusing. Amen.