“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said. The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.”
2 Timothy 4:14-18 NLT
Everyone dies eventually. The question for us isn’t weather we will die but instead what that death will mean and whether we will do it willingly and freely. Paul was following in the footsteps of Jesus. He was not afraid to give his life freely because he was a disciple of Jesus and he understood that those who followed Christ ultimately followed him into death. This was most likely amplified as Paul had once been the chief executioner of his fellow believers, as Saul. He knew it was his time to die. His concern now was in leaving a proper legacy. This meant giving proper instructions, admonishment, fair warning and encouragement. He wanted to leave a right perspective about his ministry behind. As pastors in the west live much longer lives than first century Jews, it can be tempting to seek to hold onto an idea of hanging into this world. Paul examples the final discipline of following Christ: willing submission to his death into his resurrection. Of all the instructions a pastor can give, this one is perhaps the most important in solidifying the value of our relationship with God. It is the visible end of the race. Let us pray that we all enter it with such poise.
JOSH McGARY. COM 