Be Still and Know

2 Timothy 4:7-8 These are remarkable verses. Paul was clear that his life was coming to an end, but there was absolutely no sense of despair or sadness. He was about to be set free from the restrictions and problems of life, to enter into the...

2 Timothy 4:1-2 We are all aware that other people are looking at us, and that is particularly true of Christian leaders. Because of the public nature of the role, people are constantly making judgments about us, whether we like it or not. Th...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 When we use the term ‘scripture’ we are clear that we are referring to the Old and New Testaments. However, when Paul was writing, much of the New Testament had yet to be written. It wasn’t until AD 382 that the Council of R...

2 Timothy 3:12-14 Paul didn’t want Timothy to have any illusions. Following Christ was the most wonderful life that Paul could imagine, but it wasn’t easy. And he knew it wouldn’t be easy for Timothy either. He would face challenges on all si...

2 Timothy 3:10-11 On the face of it, this might sound like Paul is bragging, but he knew how crucial personal example was. He has just informed Timothy of the challenges he may face and of the way in which society is going to become more and mo...

2 Timothy 3:1-2 The last days are often spoken about in the Bible. They refer to the period in which we now live, the age of the Spirit. In the prophecy of Joel, we hear God saying that in the last days, he would “pour out my Spirit upon all ...

2 Timothy 2:25-26 It’s not the easiest thing in the world to speak with those who oppose you. Many people in that position are likely to be forceful and strident in their tone. They want to win their argument and convince their opponent that ...

2 Timothy 2:24 Every Christian is a servant of the Lord but there is no doubt that in this verse, Paul is particularly thinking of the responsibilities of church leaders. Clearly they cannot serve the Lord if they are prone to pick quarrels b...

2 Timothy 2:20-21 Here Paul is describing the Church. It is made up of very different people who have a wide variety of roles. Paul’s concern is that Timothy should live in a state of constant readiness for whatever the Lord might want him to...

2 Timothy 2:15-16 It’s always a pleasure to see someone who is a good worker. They may be an accountant, a cleaner, a lawyer or a shop-worker but, the moment you see them at work, you know that they are fully committed to the task. However, i...

2 Timothy 2:9-10 If it were possible to extinguish Christianity through violent persecution, it would have been snuffed out long ago. But it is a fact of the last 2,000 years that the persecution of the Church has simply accelerated its growt...

2 Timothy 2:6 Paul was well aware of what a hard job it was to be a Christian leader. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he told them he was “pressed on every side by troubles”. He knew what it was to be perplexed, hunted down and to live in c...

2 Timothy 2:5 I wonder if you remember that agonising moment in the 2022 Commonwealth Games when our amazing 4x400m women’s relay team was disqualified. It was all the more painful because they seemed to have won the race. They gave a confide...

2 Timothy 2:3-4 It’s not surprising that the apostle Paul often referred to soldiers in his letters. He had seen plenty of Roman soldiers in his time and, no doubt, had often reflected on the life that they lived. They provided him with a pow...

2 Timothy 2:2 Every sensible organisation needs to reflect on its succession planning. Leaders come and go and it’s important that careful thought is given to the way in which potential new leaders are identified, trained and appointed. This ...