Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

Early morning dew on our roses is always a profound delight.  I want my heart and life to so respond to the light of God like this honored rose.

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.

And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.

2 Timothy 1:8, 11, 12

Stop for a moment, what is Paul saying?  Is he declaring that he is not a prisoner of Rome but a prisoner of Jesus Christ and the Gospel?  Precisely.

It sure sounds like Paul is a prisoner of Rome.  Is he not chained to a Roman guard in a Roman prison under rule of the mighty Roman Emperor, Nero, the most powerful ruler in the world at the time?  Has not Rome declared Paul unfit to live?  The shackles were made in a Roman forge.  Romans wrote in legal Latin that Paul deserved death.  Paul knew the anger of Rome.   That anger would have its way, very soon.  Paul was about to die as a prisoner of Rome.  Who could have argued that Rome did not have absolute power over Paul’s fate?

The answer to that question is at the heart of the letter to Timothy.  Paul declares that he is in the hands of Jesus Christ who reigns in glory, not in the hands of any human being, not even the most powerful person in the world at the time, Emperor Nero. This is the secret to Paul’s entire life.  He serves the Lord in glory, not the Emperor who sits on his bloody, gilded earthly throne.

Jesus taught almost incessantly about his kingdom that he came to establish, the kingdom of God’s all-embracing grace.  Here it is, in stark reality.  It appears as weak as a straw before the power of Rome’s mighty legions.  Paul knew that full well.

Over two thousand years have passed since then.  The followers of Jesus Christ are to be found now in almost every corner of the earth.  Rome is a chapter in a history book, gone.

It is this understanding of the reign of Christ that enables Paul to say, And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.  Furthermore, he invited young Timothy to suffer likewise.

Kingdoms come and go, the Kingdom of God grows from a small seed to a huge tree, not dependent at all on any culture to sustain it.  It is God’s Kingdom.  It is to that Kingdom we are called.  Our citizenship is in that Kingdom, where the Triune God reigns.

I was amazed, yesterday, to learn that pignut hickory trees are pink striped inside. The wind blew this giant tree over along Mill Stream in the East Lampeter Park.

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:8

I seldom hear anyone talk about a “crown of righteousness.”  In fact, I do not hear the word, “crown” hardly at all. Crowns are unknown in our culture expect now and again a super athlete receives a fictional crown of achievement. And when have we last heard the word “righteousness” in the press or in conversation? It is a new word to us and we must think about its meaning.

First of all, it is a gift.  It is not earned as we usually think of earning something by working for it. God has it in his store!  He presents these precious crowns of righteousness to pronounce us righteous, especially meaningful because he himself is righteous, the one who judges righteousness with divine wisdom.

Righteousness is not something that we accumulate!  It is a gift from the Righteous One, God the Judge. If we were to be judged by how fastidious we are in obeying to perfection all the rules of what we understand by righteousness, who could possibly stand?  Yet because we are in Christ, we receive God’s righteousness as a gift, nothing less.  This seems an impossibility but as I think about it, that is exactly what happens.  It is called God’s grace!

A second thing that amazes me is that all who love God as forgiven disciples of Jesus Christ will have this dazzling crown.  It is not like a wreath that is placed on the head of only one runner, no, it is for all who long for “his appearing.”

These words catapult us into the future, in a way, when we stand before the righteous Judge who places on our heads this crown.  It is for those who have longed for his appearing. 

The renowned Apostle Paul has his, you have yours, I have mine. Haleluyah!

For some reason, our purple or whatever rose is special. It has a very calming effect on my spirit, that is for sure.  Love it.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7, 8

Next month I will be 88 years old!  I can hardly believe it.  And Anna Ruth is now 89 already.  We would be irresponsible if we did not come to grips with the fact that we are old!  Quite old.

There is not much we can do to smooth all the rough places that we have passed over in our lives.  We experienced and continue to experience valleys of struggle, mountain tops of elation, roads ahead, straight and narrow, sometimes humdrum but always demanding, and alluring.  We experienced storms and calm, wind and breathless hope.  All of our years are laid out, like a living map.  Did we really come this far?  Did we really manage the ups and downs?  We are here by grace, and only that. God carried us and inspired us all the way.

What of the journey?  How do we feel about it all? We did not win all the battles, but we did fight the good fight of faith.  We believe in the grace and mercy and God more than ever.

The marathon is coming to an end and, praise God, we are still running the race we have been called to run, albeit a bit slower but some wiser. How we managed all those miles in life baffles the mind, but with God we never stopped running, and will continue to run until called by God to break the tape and enjoy a good, long rest.  We are finishing!

As two thankful children, God gave us faith, as a gift, that never wavered since we believed.  That is a miracle of divine grace.  God gave us that faith, we have kept it and cherished it above all things.

We are two seriously, maybe even hilariously, humbled individuals, thankful beyond words to be loved and saved by our Lord Jesus.  Life without Him is absolutely unthinkable.

For some reason, I am delighted to see a climbing crimson rose next to a bedroom window at our place – brings back a stream of warm Spring memories.  One of the simple but exciting scenes that are there to please us.  Without the dependable sun, this could not be. May I keep shining day after day!!

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:8

Things were looking hopelessly bleak.  When, for a season, Paul was released from Roman imprisonment he revisited some of the churches in Turkey that he had a hand in establishing, no doubt expecting the honor he deserved.  Not so. Many rebuffed him. At least that is how he felt because he wrote about it in this letter to Timothy.  Many received Paul with open arms but those who rejected him, it appears, filled Paul’s memories.

When writing this letter one can feel the pathos of his soul.  Once faithful followers of the Lamb were turning back and others left the simple way of the Gospel, now twisting it to their own purposes. Paul does mention a few persons in this letter to Timothy who held to the fundamental faith but he was obviously profoundly troubled by those who found the simple Gospel too shallow or too difficult and who were seeking a more congenial way to follow Christ.  We have little detail but that appears to me to be what is happening.

This is all against the fact that Paul was doing something that riled the Jews – inviting Gentiles to be saved by the atoning merits of Jesus and joining as equal members in the fellowships of believers all over the Roman world.  And now, Nero implicated the Christians in the great fire that destroyed much of Rome.

The Jews turned against him even though he was a Jew, the Romans imprisoned him as an enemy of Rome even though he was a Roman citizen!  Poor Paul, now chained to a Roman jailer and facing a mock trial and certain death did what seems preposterous, he was encouraging Timothy to suffer with him!  What got into this man, Paul?  Jesus got into him, that is what.  And Jesus is assuring him that “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”  That includes Timothy.

When disappointment comes, the door of heaven opens where the Judge of all is beckoning with arms wide open.  Into those arms Paul is falling.  Home at last. His crown of righteousness awaits him, perfectly fitted!  Thank you, Paul, for showing all of us disciples of the Lamb the glory of life with Him, forever and ever.

Now and again Anna Ruth gets nostalgic and serves up a beach breakfast, recalling many wonderful memories of morning breakfasts on the beach on our seaside vacations years ago.  Here we are at our table at 2118 Lyndell Drive, far from the salty air, but enjoying the simple joys of eggs, potatoes and bacon. David is center, Dwayne on our right.  Eggs below!

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.   2 Timothy 1:7, 8

I would like to pick up a few themes of this letter before leaving it.  One has to do with encouraging and praying for those who are now being given the awesome responsibility and unique privilege of lifting up Jesus in their time.  As background, the Apostle Paul and Timothy were, as we say, natured differently.  When Saul of Tarsus bursts onto the scene, he is aggressive, self-assured, almost boisterous in promoting his belief that the way to really please God was to live absolutely consistent in obeying every jot and title of the Law.  We see not one ounce of timidity!  He believed absolutely in what he was doing and no one could shift him from that bed-rock certainty.  He grew up in a Law-obeying home, not in Israel, but in southern Turkey. Many Jewish families in diaspora soft-pedaled their Jewish faith and tradition, not Saul’s family. As a fiery student when he came to Jerusalem to study he was admired by every Pharisee!  Psychologically, he was self-assured, beyond most.

But how about Timothy?  He, too, was born and raised in southern Turkey but he was, in a sense, a half-Jew, we might say.  His mother and grandmother were Jewish but his father and grandfather were Greek Gentiles.  Was Timothy a Jew or a Greek?  This may have shaped his personality, making him unsure of who he is and even timid in trying to explain who he is.

Paul is extraordinarily self-assured.  Timothy is extraordinarily timid! Now, listen to Paul.  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  Timidity can be a virtue if it is a personality trait because when the overpowering presence of God’s Spirit breaks into a life that is naturally timidity, that becomes the context of a marvelous and unexpected change. Paul describes it as a new power, new love and new self-discipline. Listen carefully to Paul, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”  That is an entirely new way to live!  I want to know more of it.