2008-09-06 - Summer Questions

2008 #9.3 ~ A Trustworthy Statement, Part 3

2 Timothy 2:11-13, “Here is a trustworthy saying; if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we  endure, we will also reign with Him, if we disown Him, He will disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Today's Question: “I find peace a very hard thing to come by. I suffer from depression, OCD, and anxiety and I KNOW God loves me, but sometimes it's hard to understand why people like me suffer.”

This is the third of our four examinations into Paul's “trustworthy statements.” It actually has several trustworthy statements contained in it. It starts with a foundational thought. We must die with Him, so that we can live with Him. How do we die with Him? The answer is that He died for our sin, and we die with Him by dying to our sin. 2 Corinthians 4:10 tells us, “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” The death of Christ to pay the penalty for our sin affects the way we live. We are raised with Him in newness of life, because our sin died with Him on the cross (Romans 6:5). His love for us was great. Our love to Him is a response to what He has done for us in taking our sin upon Himself. Our desire now is to please Him in our lives.

The second phrase is even more practical - if that were possible. “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” Is this not a blessed thought when we struggle? Nobody said endurance was a walk in the park. But as we endure and struggle, those struggles are made easier by knowing that it is by persevering to the end that we obtain the victory. The victory is sealed in Christ, but it is promised to those who endure. “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved,” Matthew 24:13. When we struggle, these thoughts are a great comfort in our struggle. The Spirit of Christ breathes quickening grace into our hearts and grounds us in His love and care. We hold on by faith as we struggle, but one thing we know with certainty when everything else is in doubt: God's promises never fail.

Let us beware of the last trustworthy statement we find here. Let us never deny our Lord. Let us never in thought, word or deed forsake such a glorious salvation as we have in Christ. Oh, my friends, would you have precious peace in your life? Never deny Christ. Oh, that we would ever cling to our Lord, and seek Him above all Earthly distractions. He is faithful. He cannot deny Himself. Let us seek also to be faithful to Him. His promises never fail. Let us seek to never let our promises to Christ fail. God is ever and always true. Can we find a more sure hope that that? There is none. It is a trustworthy statement: The Lord can never fail us. He is always ever the same, and our lives are only complete when we live for Him.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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Editor's Note: The questions in this series are stated in the exact form sent by the readers - unedited, unproofed, in order to remain true to the reader's original wording.