Daily Encouragement | A scripture-based, 60-second, challenge toward fidelity in living-out the call to Christian discipleship! | Page 30

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“But a beautiful palace does not make a great king! Why did your father Josiah reign so long? Because he was just and fair in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He saw to it that justice and help were given the poor and the needy and all went well for him. This is how a man lives close to God.” (Jeremiah 22:15-16, Living Bible)

Reject the notion that possessions make a great person; or are the evidence of God’s favor.

Yes, it is difficult to reject this kind of thinking when it is so prevalent and so prominent in our society; but Jeremiah reminds us that it is the practice of justice and fairness — particularly for the benefit of the least of our neighbors — that pleases God.

It’s not about what you have. It’s about what you are! – Luther

Tagged fairness, godliness, justice, righteousness, the book of Jeremiah

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“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NIV)

What awaits you after this life?

In his final days on this earth, Paul — writing to his protege Timothy — declares that “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” awaits him.

The trials of this life are many, and often cause us great pain and suffering. However, do not despair. Fight the good fight, meaning: Draw on all of your resources — in heaven and on earth — to resist the evil one and his schemes. Stay in the race to the finish, meaning: Don’t quit — ever. Keep the faith, meaning: Remember that God, through Jesus, has assured victory at the end of all things — even if it doesn’t look that way now.

The rewards written of by Paul are not only his — but ours, as well, if we wait in longing for His appearing.

What awaits us after this life? Life in the presence of the Lord. The crown of righteousness. Hearing the righteous Judge say to us, “Well done.” – Luther

Tagged death, faithfulness, reward, the book of 2 Timothy

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“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. . . But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:10-11,14-15, NIV)

In these, Paul’s final words to his protege Timothy, we have the commendation of a holy life to another person walking the same path.

What will we “senior” disciples commend to those coming behind us? Does our lifestyle, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, and our personal testimony of the Lord’s deliverance from perils give them courage and hope in their time of testing?

A benefit of our pain and suffering is our testimony of God’s faithfulness through all of it. When those who know us best look at our life, do they see a faithful God and an unyielding hope; or is it something less? – Luther

Tagged holiness, personal example, the book of 2 Timothy, the power of personal example, the scriptures