The Lord Stood By Me
And Gave Me Strength
Do your
best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has
deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has
gone to
At my
first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be
counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that
through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might
hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from
every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:9-18
When you
are about to die, how will you describe your life? Will you call your life a
triumph, a coronation, and call if glorious? Towards the end of your life, your
words can give others your own perspective on life, and death.
Paul’s
last words dealt not with what he had done in life and ministry but rather with
how he viewed people. What makes it even more significant is that some of those
words were about people who had disappointed him.
Regarding
an individual who had harmed him by opposing his ministry, Paul trusted the
Lord to deal with him. And when considering those who had abandoned him when
imprisoned, he asked others to handle them graciously. His last words were
those of compassion and kindness instead of harshness and retaliation.
Will our
last words show the grace of Christ or the bitterness of a wounded heart? Our
answer should impact the words we use today.
What words will be your legacy?
Our Daily Bread – September 27, 2008