«Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus» (2 Timothy 1:1).
IN 2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 1, the apostle speaks about Jesus Christ, his Savior, and about himself. Paul considers Timothy his spiritual son, so he loves him greatly and always prays for him. He is aware of his suffering, as well as his good testimony and that of his family (w. 1—5).
Paul requests five things of Timothy: that he rekindle his gift, that he not be afraid, that he not be ashamed of Jesus or Paul, that he be ready to suffer for Jesus, and that he hold fast to the truth of Scripture which was committed to him (vv. 6—10).
Paul also speaks of his Savior. Christ redeemed us by His grace, called us to a holy life, destroyed death, and gives us the opportunity to have eternal life.
Finally, Paul speaks about himself. He was called to be an apostle, preacher, and teacher of the Gentiles. He may suffer and yet he is not discouraged and not ashamed like the others, except for Onesiphorus, a faithful friend (vv. 11—18).
Being faithful to God has its costs, but being unfaithful also comes at a cost.
In a country where there is no freedom to live out the Christian faith, a small group of young people decided to keep the Sabbath no matter what. Most of them had to retake whole classes and redo entire school years, and even risked losing scholarships. A missionary visitor and the leader of a small local church went to a university to speak with someone in the administration.
The administrator said, «They have been awarded scholarships to study and have to prioritize their studies. Their Christian faith is no excuse.»
It seemed like they had lost the battle, but before leaving, they interceded once more for the students to be allowed to be faithful without affecting their future. «We trust in God and in you.» There was silence and then he said, «I know these students; they are some of our most responsible and honest students. Above all else, you can be sure that while I am in this position, none of the students will be forced to lose their freedom of conscience.
Since then, no Adventist student has been unable to be at the house of the Lord on Sabbath for academic reasons at that university. God performed a miracle for His children who love Him and were willing to pay the price:
What price do you wish to pay?
Choose to be faithful to God, because no suffering can compare to the glory of the world to come.