“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy when he was imprisoned in Rome and was about to be martyred. There is a sense of urgency throughout this book, because Paul knew that he would soon be gone from the scene, and the work would depend on young men like Timothy. He was encouraging Timothy to stay faithful and to use the gifts that God had given him to carry out the purpose that God had for him. In encouraging Timothy in this way, he reminded him of the spirit that God had given him, which is a spirit that he has given us as well. There is a sense of urgency today and we need to be reminded of the spirit with which we are to witness and minister to the world. First, we need to be reminded that God has not given us a spirit of timidity. This means that we are not to be intimidated by the world, for the world has no interest in our faith and doesn’t care about the work of the Lord. People who have no interest in the gospel will try to shame us and shut us up. We need to remember that “greater is He that is in you, than he is in the world.” Don’t be timid and ashamed of what God has done in your life so that you can share it with those who need it. Second, we are told that we have been given a spirit of power. We could also say that we have been given the Spirit of power. (Note the capital S) In Acts 1:8, just before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the world.” That same power was given to Timothy and it has been given to us. Jesus did not leave His disciples desolate, as He promised, because He gave them the Holy Spirit to work from within them. He did the same for us. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in us too; therefore, we should go forth, serving the Lord in that power, using whatever gifts He has given us through His Spirit. Third, we have been given a spirit of love. (Isn’t it amazing how many times that word pops up in the Bible?) The spirit of love that we have been given is the same love that was portrayed in John 3:16. In other words, we have been given a spirit of God’s kind of love. This means that we are to face the hostile world with a spirit of love and not a spirit of defensiveness and arrogance. Indeed, we are to love the world as God loves it, and yearn for people to be saved. I do not mean that we should never get angry at some of the things that go on in the world, but we are not to let that anger turn to hatred and loathing. If we really believe the gospel, we believe that it is not God’s will that any should perish. Perhaps, we need to occasionally check our “love quotient,” and see if we are using that God-given spirit. It’s not always easy, but it is always necessary. Fourth, we have been given a spirit of self-discipline. I like the KJV translation of this, which is that we have been given a spirit of a “sound mind.” This means that if we are in our right mind, we will develop a sense of self-discipline that will keep us from being caught up in the rebellious spirit of the world. I know that it feels lonely sometimes trying to live for Jesus in a world that has no interest in Him, but that does not excuse us from practicing our God-given self discipline. It would be easy at times to just say, “What the heck…everybody else is doing it (whatever “it” is).” The good thing is that our self-discipline does not just depend on our weak selves, for we have the power of the Holy Spirit to enable to stay away from the evils that would side-track us and destroy our witness. Take a look at your life and prayerfully consider how you are doing in these disciplines. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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