Based on 2 Timothy 1:1-12 (New King James Version)
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 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, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 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. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 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, 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, 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, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 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.”
I think we can all agree that this life is not easy. And this life has never been easy. Ever since man fell into sin, the world has been harsh. There are difficulties and complex situations in all things. And now, with all the more reason, thanks to COVID, everything is even more difficult. This COVID issue has made an already hard life even more difficult and complicated. And of course, the most difficult thing, that if there were diseases to worry about, now one more has been added that has taken the lives of many people. So far, it is estimated that more than 6.58 million people have died worldwide thanks to this new pandemic. In the US alone, more than 1 million people have died. To put it in perspective, the total estimated loss of life from the Vietnam War during the years 1954-1975 was 3,595,000, and this includes the loss of soldiers from all the countries involved, civilians, and where the war took place, in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. A war of almost 20 years had fewer deaths than an epidemic that has not yet been in existence for 3 years. I hope this is really ending.
This life has become even more difficult than it was, and for many reasons, not just because of COVID. It's a fight. As much as we think that we now have many breakthroughs and new technology, it seems that things are getting even more difficult. Within all the difficult, today we face economic struggles, health struggles, personal and intimate life struggles where you can no longer trust almost anyone, because at the moment you least expect, everything can change in a relationship. There are parents who mistreat and even torture and kill their own children, and also children who do unthinkable things with their parents. There are people who take the lives of others in violent attacks, assaults in schools, in stores, in churches, and in other less unexpected places. And what about marriages? The only reason I think the divorce rate has remained constant at about 50% is because there is a larger group that has embraced the norm of living together, and those statistics are harder to quantify. But I am very sure that if the statistics of marriages with those who live as couples are put together, the numbers of failures would be even higher. And of course, there are wars and conflicts, violence and crime, shortages, plagues. In short, the list is endless, and the Bible warns us that things will get even worse, until the end of humanity. There is no good news for this world.
And after that? If we have any kind of reasoning, we should understand that this world will pass one day (thank God). Everything we see, the physical, the material, nothing will be left, even you and me. From the dust we came from and to dust we will return, just as God said. All of this that we mention of course has a reason, and it has everything to do with the passage that we read today. Every human being fights for different things, for good things, and for not good things. But, everything requires effort, and everything that a person undertakes involves sacrifice. Every action has consequences, depending on what it is. And of course, if you fight for the temporary, the reward will also be temporary. But Paul mentions something very important, that he suffers, but for something, and he is not ashamed of what he suffers for, because he is convinced of something, he is sure of receiving something further, a deposit for that day. What day is he talking about? He is talking about the day that every human being must always take into account, the day of judgment. And this is what the Word says: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. This day is believed to either be very far away, or that there will be no such judgment. And incredibly enough, as part of new teachings and doctrines, it is believed that Christians will not be held accountable for our actions, but that is not what the Bible teaches. This is what the Scriptures say: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. And so, the only thing that saves man is doing the will of God, beginning with true repentance and conversion from all sin, and making Jesus the literal Lord of our lives. And in this way, precisely to live this life as the Lord commands, doing the will of the Father. Otherwise, everything one does is wrong, even those things that are seen as good. How can that be? The root of everything, the reason for which we must fight, what God ultimately protects and keeps for us is obtained only by fulfilling this through the Lord Jesus Christ: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6. This is the culmination of the issue, and the reason for why Paul legitimately struggled: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” Romans 14:7-9. If we fight for anything in this life, the reason why absolutely everything must be done must be because we love the Lord and because we are convinced that we are doing His will. Otherwise, if anything is done seeking to fulfill our own will, we will only have hell as our reward in the end. Because this also the Word says: “The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” 1 Corinthians 16:21-22. So then, what is the true reason for your struggle? Lord bless! John