Greetings Calvary family.
In just a few days, we will make our way again to our building at 1200 Roosevelt Road to gather together with the aim of expressing our praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to God, and the aim of quieting ourselves for a short time to hear from God.
As I spent time in my study this afternoon pondering the service, a story came to mind. It was the story of a husband and wife, who were experiencing a number of fairly intense and difficult circumstances: within their community, within their church family, and within their own family. And it was all coming to a head. It was at that moment that the wife suggested that there was one thing that they must do if they were going to survive. If they had any hope of making it through.
In order to make the point that they must do this one thing in order to survive, she gave her husband this illustration, “I want you to think about this one thing like this. Say you went to the doctor, and she told you that you had a disease that is going to kill you. That’s the really bad news. But then the doctor tells you that there is a pill you can take, that will keep you alive. That’s the really good news. However, you have to take this pill once per day, in order to stay alive. My question for you, husband, is this: would you take the pill?”
Answer: of course you would.
This last Sunday, in the story of Paul and Timothy, we learned that in this life we will have trouble, and affliction, and suffering. We learned that as followers of Jesus, we must, “share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3), because the point of our lives is to endure this soldier-suffering “for the sake of the [lost], that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10). Finally, we received Paul’s comfort that the way this would be possible is through the present and future promise of the empowering presence of Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1; 4:17-18).
But there is still one thing that we must do in order to survive (and thrive) as a good soldier of Jesus. One thing that actually opens up the way to the present and future promise of the empowering presence of Jesus. One thing we need, every day, in order to make it in perilous times. One thing that Paul passes on to Timothy, and to us.
Join me, and the Apostle Paul, this coming Sunday, as we spend just one more week in 2 Timothy, to (re)discover this one thing. And may he use our time together to open our eyes, so that we can help at least one other person move one step closer to Jesus.
I love you,
Pastor Matthew
matthew@calvarystcloud.org
matthewmolesky.com
