2 Timothy: Endure, Encourage, Equip预览

We are made for fellowship

What does your calendar look like? Is it full of obligations? Kids’ dance recitals, work meetings, obligatory functions that drain you instead of filling you up? Who would you drop everything to be with? The answer to these questions can be a telltale sign of what you value in life or what has crept in only to deplete you.

As Paul closed his action-packed letter to Timothy in the face of his pending death, he focused on relationships. Greetings and updates to those who had supported him in ministry and had become his friends.

Throughout Paul’s letters in the New Testament, we witness a man 100% invested in a relationship. What propels and motivates him is the desire to share the love of Christ with others. His letters are an eyewitness account of the community developed through a mutual love of the Lord. They portray the need for fellowship, accountability, and instruction that can only be found when “doing” life with others.

We are made in God’s image, and we are called to be in relationship with others, just as the triune God is in perfect harmony with Himself through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not always easy because we all have a little Martha over Mary in us. The laundry calls and tasks need to be done, and we need to clock in to work, not to mention those of us who are more introverted and recharge away from people.

If this seems overwhelming to you, there is no need to worry. Thankfully, relationships are a quality-over-quantity proposition. God’s plan is for you to have intimacy with Him and with other people. It does not matter how many people you can call loyal friends but rather that you have allowed other people into the nooks and crannies of your life—and vice versa.

1. How many things on your to-do list are tasks and obligations versus time spent with the people you love? What prevents you from stepping away from a busy to-do list, or how can you extend yourself to others if your schedule is traditionally empty?
2. Do you struggle with allowing trusted friends into the messy parts of life? What prevents you from sharing the “icky” of life with others? How can Jesus help?
3. What is your biggest takeaway from this study?

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