Monday, November 27, 2023
Always
remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the
dead. This is the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained
like a criminal. But the word of God
cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if
it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has
chosen. This is a trustworthy
saying: If we die with him, we will also
live with him. If we endure
hardship, we will reign with him. If we
deny him, he will deny us. If
we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
2 Timothy 2:8-13
United States Marines greet each
other with the motto, Semper Fi, a shortened version of semper
fidelis.[1] The phrase means always faithful,
and is indicative of the character of those who serve a higher guiding principle
than self-interest.[2]
Long before the assembling of U.S.
fighting forces, the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, an aspiring
preacher of the Gospel, to encourage and admonish him to serve Christ’s Kingdom
with an unswerving loyalty. Paul
described the resurrected Jesus as “faithful.”
Dying with Him, we are raised to newness of life by Him. Enduring hardship, we will reign with
him. Denying Him, we will be judged by
Him. And, in His supreme compassion, when
we are less than semper fi He is still faithful. This could be summed-up in one short verse:
“I am the Lord, and I do not change. Malachi 3:6a
By comparison, human beings can be remarkably un-loyal. Our lives typically begin in one direction and, influenced by any of the seven deadly sins,[3] we change our employment, spouse, promises, gender, and a host of all other possibilities. Despite the call to be faithful, human allegiance is usually sold to the highest bidder.
It’s true!
Most mottos sound wonderful, even noble;
most human attempts to live-up to those mottos have holes like Swiss cheese.
So what is the Rx for our Fickle Faith?
I’m glad you asked…and let me point
us back to the Apostle’s opening line to Timothy:
Always remember that Jesus Christ, a
descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 2
Timothy 2:8
If there is anything that can keep us
close to Jesus it is the resurrection of God’s perfect lamb, crucified for our
sins, raised to conquer death and the grave.
In staying faithful to proclaim that, we also preach Good News to our
own souls.
For You Today
Find a way to proclaim His
resurrection every day, in every circumstance, and, as many have said…always
preach the Gospel…even use words if necessary. What that means for each of us is: nothing will help keep you faithful
like engaging in the work of He Who is Semper Fi.
For another post on this text read here: Gospel
Unchained
There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons
in the Rocky Road library.
Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com
Images without citation are in public domain or cited
via weblinks.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT©
[3] pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger or wrath, and sloth – see The Seven Deadly Sins - LIst
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