May 5, 2026; 2 Timothy 4

Daily Dose of Hope May 5, 2026   Scripture: 2 Timothy 4   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for a new day and a new chance to give you glory and praise.  You are an amazing God.  How incredible it is that you, who created everything, know my name.  You know every hair on my head.  While I am so grateful for your love and care, it is sometimes difficult for me to adequately wrap my brain around your expansive love and mercy.  Help me be a better reflection of you, Lord.  Help me see others through your eyes.  Help me be merciful, kind, and good.  Lord, I know I fall short.  So often.  But I want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, hear my prayer...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This is our last day in Paul's letters.  We have gone through all thirteen pastoral letters.  Tomorrow, we start the sixteen names of God.  I do hope you have the reading list.  If you don't, it will be posted on the church website and Facebook page today.  Just so you know, the name of God we are covering tomorrow is  YHWH, THE SELF-EXISTENT ONE and the Scripture reading is Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3, Psalm 83:18, and Isaiah 42:8.   Today's reading is 2 Timothy 4.  Paul is getting ready to die.  He expresses to Timothy that his life has been poured out as a sacrificial drink offering.  He has given his whole life to the work of God in this world.  It's been hard but God has given him the ability to persevere, to keep going, to not give up.  He says that he has finished the race of life, fought the fight, all the while keeping strong in the faith.  None of this was done in his own power but through the power of Jesus working in him.    As I read through Paul's letters, we see how often he encountered obstacles.  This has been especially evident in 2 Timothy.  Paul has been abandoned by friends, imprisoned, tortured, shipwrecked, rejected, been in fear of his life, and yet he kept on going.  I often wonder if he ever contemplated quitting.  Regardless, he never did.  He continued to get up in the morning and do what God had called him to do, even when it was really hard.  At the end of your life (as Paul was at the end of his), what will be your thoughts about what you've done for Jesus?  I often say that when we are on our deathbed, all that matters will be who we've loved, who's loved us, and what we've done for the Lord.  Where do you stand in those categories?   As we close this season of reading Paul's letters, I'm going to take a moment and let you know some of my key takeaways: ·      Salvation is a free gift from God.  It comes through faith in Jesus and nothing else.  Legalism was an issue in Paul's day and it's still an issue in ours.  Anyone who teaches that anything additional is needed for salvation besides faith in Jesus Christ is a false teacher. ·      The church is the body of Christ on earth.  Jesus is head of the church.  ·      The church consists of a very diverse group of believers, with a variety of gifts, who are intended to love one another fiercely.  The church, by how it behaves and loves, should be a witness to the world for Jesus. ·      All people are equal and should be treated as such. ·      A transformed life should have some fruit.  It should be evident that someone has been changed by Jesus through their words and behavior.  These things are an indicator of inner character. ·      Church leaders should have high integrity and will be held to a higher standard. ·      The resurrection is real and we are to live as resurrection people – transformed, new creations who have set aside the old and seek a new way of being human. ·      We should be looking forward to Jesus' return and the future resurrection of believers.   I hope you will be joining me for our new reading plan, starting tomorrow, on the names of God!    Blessings, Pastor Vicki