“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus…”
This verse alone was enough to capture my attention from this chapter. And two questions immediately come to mind:
What are we strengthened by grace for? Verses 2-7 hint at some of the possible reasons.
1) We are strengthened by grace for the task of investing the gospel in the lives of others (v.2).
2) We are strengthened by grace to endure the suffering that is a by-product of faithfully following Jesus (v.3)
3) We are strengthened by grace to avoid the distractions of this world (v.4).
4) We are strengthened by grace to obey the commands of our Father – even when we might not want to (v.5).
5) We are strengthened by grace for the disciple, determination, and patience it takes to live a fruit-producing life that pleases God, nourishes others, and satisfies us (v.6)
How are we strengthened by grace?
For me this is the bigger question. It is one thing for Paul to say to Timothy “be strengthened by grace”, it is another thing for it to happen. So how does it happen? I think it happens in much the same way that physical strength training happens.
- Determine what kind of workout you need
- Know what motivates you
- Set reasonable goals
- Schedule your workout
- Find a workout partner or someone who you are accountable to
- Keep the end goal ever in front of you
My grace strengthening workout includes the pondering of God’s Word, prayer, and Scripture memory. What I do changes from time to time to keep the workout fresh but these are the basic exercises I regularly pursue. If you want help designing a spiritual workout routine that will help you to be strengthened by grace just let me know. I would be delighted to help.
May this brick help you to be strengthened by grace so that you are better equipped to faithfully follow Jesus for the rest of your life.