2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Notice in this verse there is a motivation behind Paul’s service that kept him going, even when he faced difficulty. There was a “cause” that was greater to him in importance than any deterrent that the opposition could throw at him.
The context verses leading up to this verse in 2 Timothy inform us that the cause is the gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ came into the world to give his life that sinners could be saved. He called Paul to represent him as a preacher, apostle, and a teacher. His “cause” was Christ himself. It was all about sharing the redeemed relationship that he had with his Lord, and nothing was more important to him. He wanted to represent him well and he wanted others to receive this same marvelous grace and mercy that he had received.
The verse also tells us there were problems ("suffer these things") that he faced along the way, and it would have been easy to quit but he couldn’t do it. His love and dedication were too deep to be defeated. His priorities were firmly placed in the need to proclaim the message that Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Paul declared in Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Why do we do what we do? Is our love for the Lord so deep that it motivates us to keep on keeping on? Is our calling so important that none of the opposition can move us from our appointed task? Paul had that kind of commitment. We need the same.
In Christ’s Service,
Bro. Adrian Moore
2 Cor. 4:5
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