"I will show him (Paul) how much he must suffer for my name." Acts 9:16
One of the inspirational Bible verses I have taped onto my bathroom mirror is taken from Paul's second letter to Timothy. Tradition posits that his second epistle to the young Timothy was the last letter of his life. He penned it while incarcerated in Rome's Mamertine Prison as he awaited his execution ordered by Emperor Nero. This was no comfy jail cell with a cot and three squares a day; Paul had been lowered through a hole to a dank cistern a few dozen feet below the ground.
You may be wondering what inspiration a 21st century woman may draw from a writing created under such dire circumstances? Here it is: "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength...The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4: 17, 18)
If Paul felt the Lord stood by his side as his source of rescue, then how did he end up in that awful prison? What's more, take a look at this list of Paul's hardships he endured for the sake of the gospel prior to this last trip to Rome, as drawn from 2 Corinthians 11: 23-29: He was frequently imprisoned, flogged severely, five times received lashes from his own countrymen, three times beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead, thrice shipwrecked, hungry and thirsty, sleep-deprived and in constant danger from bandits, false prophets and opposing forces.
What I've come to understand is physical well-being and spiritual prowess are two separate realms. True, the Lord permitted severe physical suffering to Paul, but God faithfully delivered him from every evil attack on his soul. Satan, no doubt, would have loved for Paul to give up, and was no doubt wishing to sift him like wheat, but I, for one, am so grateful that Paul finished the race.
In this pansy-path world where lawsuits are filed because coffee is too hot, Christians are called to carry the cross and follow in His footsteps. If Jesus endured betrayal, humiliation, crucifixion and being forsaken by His Father for my sake, I pray for the courage of St. Paul to suffer for the gospel. I want to finish well.
"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
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