Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:3 NKJV.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3.

(Jesus) said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Mark 5:34.

Our chapter, 2 Timothy 3, describes plainly hearts and minds turned away from any teaching of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also. Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Is Jesus your teacher and would you know if He was? I ask because we can read about the difficult times in any age because of people turned away from God’s wisdom that leads to salvation. We see it played out every day in our time of people turning to sin. And the amazing thing is – the wisdom that leads to salvation is through faith which is IN Christ Jesus Himself…His faith. A Person. A Person who endured hostility from sinners. A Person who tells us from of old that He has loved us with an everlasting love and draws us with loving-kindness. A Person who tells His daughter that her faith in Him has made her well…go in peace because her suffering is over. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work…do we know from Whom we have learned these things? Do we trust Him to be with us still in these difficult times? The faith He gives is His faith in His Father who loves us with an everlasting love and Whose love is our peace. Whatever darkness we are living now personally or collectively, the love of Creator God is able to reach to heal and restore and bring hope that is real. And the light of His love sustains us even as we live through burdens imposed by a world choosing darkness over light. Are you willing to be taught by God who lives in light? Can you recognize His love as He speaks loving-kindness to your spirit longing for what is real and true? Are we willing to let Jesus – our Savior – teach us? What are last days of difficult times? The days of the kingdoms of men. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is where God is, and where God is, no darkness dwells but flees. And our suffering is over! The light of God’s love can reach you now. His kingdom is real and it is now and for all eternity. Are you willing to let Him teach you about His kingdom? Jesus, our Savior, came to show us the Father’s Love which is the good news of His gospel. And He promises us…He is with us always…even to the end of the age of the kingdoms of men. Everything He taught then was new to their ears and they were utterly amazed, and many were threatened because they were not willing to be taught by God. How about today? Are we willing?