Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 AMP.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11, 13.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6.

Hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. Psalm 130:7 NKJV.

Our new chapter, 2 Timothy 1. In the notes it said it was written by Paul probably from Rome between AD 65 and 67 while he was imprisoned and expecting execution. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering 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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me – the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day – and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.

Paul led such a different life from anyone I have known and his words of teaching still ring true and needed today. I can’t imagine being Timothy and following in the steps of such a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. And yet, as Paul wrote, all who were in Asia turned away from him. I googled the emperor who ordered Paul’s execution: “The Roman Emperor who ordered the execution of the Apostle Paul was Nero, around 67 AD, as part of a severe persecution against Christians in Rome, with Paul being beheaded outside the city walls. Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome, leading to widespread persecution, and Paul was condemned under these circumstances.” Nero could order Paul’s execution but Paul knew the gospel that Jesus brought to mankind...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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death – and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. The mind of the sinful man Nero is death…but…the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace! For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Retain the standard of sound words in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. The Faith and Love which are in Christ Jesus is our center as we look to Him in Trust and Hope. Can we guard through the Holy Spirit this treasure which has now been entrusted to us? I know whom I have believed and that is how I am able to trust Him for everything. When discouragement within comes, and it does, I look to Jesus. He shows us faithfulness to the Father’s Love and I am centered again with the help of the Holy Spirit gently leading me. Being centered in Creator God brings a lightness and hope in me that lifts me out of the darkness of this broken world, and that is a treasure beyond measure. Hope in the Lord…for with the Lord there is mercy…and with Him is abundant redemption!