True & Beautiful Things About the Bible--New Testamentනියැදිය

The Letter of 2 Timothy: Goodbye

Remember how it felt the last time you said goodbye to someone you love.

Maybe you lingered long in the driveway and hugged them again. You stared at their face, wanting to memorize it by heart. Perhaps you talked about the next time you’d be together. It’s just hard to say it: Good-bye.

“Good-bye” is actually short for “God be with you,” and that’s what the apostle Paul was writing the letter of 2 Timothy to say to his young protégé.

If we want to talk about this final letter from Paul, then we’ve got to first imagine ourselves in a dungeon, specifically the Mamertine Prison in Rome. It was reached only by a rope or ladder from a hole in the floor above. Paul sat on the cold floor in a room with no windows, no lights, no toilet, no furniture, and no running water.

Worse than the horrific conditions, it might be the loneliest place on earth. That’s where Paul spent his last moments, writing his last words and hoping someone would get this letter.

So we’re here to listen to his message, perhaps even closer since beautiful, last words like these carry a weight it would have no other way.

I’ve finished the course, Paul said. I see the finish line.

Let’s be honest—not a lot of people finish well. So, let’s pay attention to this man who is facing death by decapitation at any moment, yet is clearly at rest and confident in the way he spent his life. He’s finishing strong.

He charged Timothy and the faithful following after him (that’s us) to:

• ·Fight the good fight. We’re all in a battle right now for something. If it’s worth fighting for, then keep at it.
• ·Keep the faith. Keep believing. Your faith in the Lord is where your strength comes from. If it’s true, then persevere.
• ·Keep your eyes on the prize. “The future there is laid up for me.” Laid up means the prize is already on the shelf with your name on it. If the Lord promised it, then it’s yours.

I’ve finished the course, Paul said. Jesus used this same word from the cross in John 19:30. As He pulled Himself up on the nails, He shouts, “It is finished.”

For us, three powerful words—in the Greek, just one: tetelestai. People standing near the cross heard Him say it, and knew exactly what Jesus meant. Complete. Paid in full. Done.

Finish well, Paul wrote to Timothy. No doubt Paul was already enjoying heaven by the time Timothy read it.

Next: Jesus loves you.