The Christian life can be compared to a race, but it’s a special kind of race.
– It’s like a relay because we don’t run alone.
– It’s like a marathon, because it requires endurance to make it to the end.
– It’s like an obstacle course, because there are a variety of difficulties along the way.
Paul is at the end of his relay-marathon-obstacle course and he hands the baton off to Timothy in the chapter we are reading today.
What should we do to be prepared for survival in perilous times? What if we ask a survivalist? Here are “10 Things To Do Now!” from thesurvivalistblog.net. We’ll then look at “4 Things To Do Now!” from the Apostle Paul to Timothy.
Someday we will wake up and find ourselves in the heavenly glory of our Lord’s presence. All our tears will be wiped away, all our problems will be solved and all our hurts will be healed. But we’re not there yet. (Sorry.) The world we live in is still fallen and full of difficulties. If we expect our lives to have an enduring impact, then we must be people who are able to endure.
The year is roughly A.D. 67. Paul is in Rome again, this time a prisoner in a dungeon. Luke was his only visitor. Shortly hereafter, the story goes, he was beheaded under Nero. These are his last recorded words.
Central Reflections 