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For the Sake of the Gospel

Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. He sees Timothy as his beloved child in the faith. Remember that Christ is in you and you are in Him, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3 ESV).

It is between 65 and 67 AD, and Paul is writing from prison. This time is not house arrest. Paul is in a dungeon—a cold, damp, dark, filthy underground pit. The only light filters through a small grate in the floor, tread upon by the feet of passing prison guards. Nero is in power, and Christian persecution is intense. Almost everyone has abandoned Paul: his followers are fading into the shadows, attempting to escape persecution. Paul has been in prison and abandoned before, but in the past, Paul anticipated release. Now he sees the unavoidable end, death. Paul is a man who is accustomed to preaching the gospel and caring for churches around the clock; this is a loneliness few of us will ever know. Keep Paul’s circumstances in mind as you study this letter. Paul is a powerful example to us here! We find him fettered in chains, but his mind and heart are free because his eyes are fixed on Christ. Paul could have given in to defeat and focused on himself and his dire circumstances. Yet he took his eyes off himself, looked to Christ, and turned his gaze toward Timothy. Paul is enduring his imprisonment by faith and for the sake of the gospel. Even in the worst of conditions, Paul lives and dies for the gospel. Take a moment to reflect upon Paul’s conditions as compared to your current circumstances. Open a note-taking app on your device and journal your thoughts.

According to today’s Scriptures, how did God prepare Paul for a time like this?

What truth from today’s reading can you take to heart today to help you be strengthened by God’s grace?