Terrible Times

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. - 2 Timothy 1-5

Starting off a chapter like that caught me off guard, but Paul warns us very clearly of what's to come towards the end and Christ's return. I've definitely seen a few of those around, and i'm sure things will only get worse from here. As followers, avoid such things; just as indicated in verse 5. Instead, live for God; the overarching theme in the book. Love God, and love his word.

But be warned again, Paul tells us in verse 12 that those who want to live a godly life will be persecuted. We have seen Paul and his persecutions, being chained up and rejected, but God has always pulled him through, rescuing him from all these trials. Trust your Savior in times of tribulation, prepare for battle and hurt, but our God saves, heals, and carries us through. Don't let rejection or discouragement pull you away from Christ.

As mentioned before, living for Christ requires battle. The previous chapter we are asked to be a good soldier, and several places in the bible uses the analogy of battle and war when it comes to living and fighting for the gospel. Always go back to scripture, it is the truth, it sustains and holds true, and it is also used to rebuking, teaching, and correcting. Know your scripture well; its just as training with your weapons before going out into the trenches.

Times are just going to get worse, but will you be ready?

verse of the day: 2 Timothy 3:12-13

¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,deceiving and being deceived.