1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is on courageously living for Jesus. 4 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 2: We'll return with the devotional after a brief message from 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: our sponsors. Fanning the Flame in our Souls written and 6 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 2: read by Jennifer Slattery. I am reminded of your sincere faith, 7 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 2: which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your 8 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 2: mother Eunice, and I am persuaded now lives in you also. 9 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 2: For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame 10 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 2: the gift of God which is in you through the 11 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: laying on of my hands. For the spirit God gave 12 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, 13 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 2: and self discipline. Years ago, my extended family experienced a 14 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 2: period of panic after my younger brother told us that 15 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 2: he was praying about trying to get a job in 16 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 2: North Korea so that he could share the Gospel. I 17 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 2: don't remember if the country was open to this at 18 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: the time, but he hoped to teach English and use 19 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 2: his role to build relationships that could allow for spiritual conversations. 20 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 2: My mind immediately flooded with thoughts of him in a 21 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 2: North Korean prison, tortured for his faith, if not executed. 22 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 2: I wanted to tell him all the reasons this was 23 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 2: a terrible idea, by God's grace. However, I stayed silent, 24 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 2: knowing the greater danger was in encouraging him to deny 25 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 2: God's voice and choose self protection over obedience to our relief. 26 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: He ultimately sensed the Lord leading him in a different direction. 27 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: But that season really challenged me to investigate the depths 28 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 2: of my belief, my trust in Christ, and and commitment 29 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 2: to His mission. I wonder if Paul, the first century 30 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 2: church planter who wrote the book from which today's passage came, 31 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 2: ever wrestled with this internal conflict. He cared for Timothy, 32 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 2: his mentee, deeply, and appeared to be closer to this 33 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: young man than anyone else with whom he worshiped or serve. 34 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: He even referred to him as his true child in 35 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 2: the Faith ver Timothy one verse two. Therefore, there must 36 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: have been a part of him, perhaps a large part, 37 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: that wanted to keep Timothy safe. Keep in mind, this 38 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,519 Speaker 2: was during the time of Nero, one of the cruelest 39 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: emperors in Roman history, responsible for the horrific deaths of 40 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: numerous Christians. Paul understood persecution. He'd been stoned, flogged, beaten 41 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 2: with rods, and imprisoned on numerous occasions. He'd also lost 42 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 2: relationships with many people he'd once held dear. Plus, he 43 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 2: wrote from a dark, damp prison cell also known as 44 00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 2: a dungeon, awaiting a likely execution. Considering all that reflect 45 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 2: on Paul's words in verse six again for this reason, 46 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 2: pointing back to his sincere faith, his rock solid foundation 47 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 2: in Christ. For this reason, he wrote, I remind you 48 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 2: to fan into flame the gift of God which is 49 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 2: in you, through the laying on of my hands. Two 50 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: Timothy won sixth. Had I been Paul, I suspect, my 51 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 2: letter to Timothy would have looked quite different, likely filled 52 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: with all the ways he could survive the evil invading 53 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 2: the ancient world. Perhaps had he come to me like 54 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 2: my brother had, I would have remained silent, as I 55 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 2: did regarding North Korea. But I'm not sure I would 56 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 2: have had the courage and strength to tell him to 57 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 2: actively feed the very thing that could and were likely 58 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 2: than not would result in death. According to tradition, he 59 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 2: was in fact martyred in ady A d presumably fifteen 60 00:03:53,840 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: years after Paul's execution, intersecting life and faith, reading Paul's 61 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 2: possible last words to his beloved friend and spiritual son, 62 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 2: and reflecting on my typical reactions when those I love suffer, 63 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 2: I'm left with an important question. What enabled Paul to 64 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 2: respond to their intensely hostile circumstances with such faith? We 65 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 2: discover the answer when we read his other letters. He 66 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 2: maintained a close relationship with Christ and experienced such fulfillment 67 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 2: from that relationship that he was able to say, for me, 68 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 2: to live is Christ and to die is Gain Philippians one, 69 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 2: verse twenty one. His ongoing connection with the Lord and 70 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 2: his practice of praying constantly also provided clarity and guidance 71 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: for his most difficult circumstances and positioned him to receive 72 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 2: God's comfort. In his letter to the Philippians, he emphasized 73 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: maintaining an eternal perspective which extends beyond living missionally. This 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 2: also means reading about and reflecting on all that awaits 75 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,839 Speaker 2: us in heaven. According to Hebrews twelve, verse two, that 76 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: was also a sustained Christ through his horrific death and 77 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: all the brutality he experienced preceding it. That verse tells 78 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 2: us to fix, as in fasten unwaveringly our eyes on Jesus, 79 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 2: the author and perfector of our faith, who endured the 80 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 2: Cross for the joy set before him. This tells me 81 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 2: the more I reflect on all the blessings I have 82 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 2: in Christ and through Christ today and through eternity, the 83 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: greater my faith and strength to endure today's challenges, and 84 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 2: the easier it becomes to encourage those I love to 85 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 2: prioritize obedience to Him above all, even if that means 86 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 2: losing all. Thankfully, I'm not alone in my pursuit. 87 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 3: Jesus, the one who died that I might live throughout 88 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 3: eternity with him, will grow my faith, decrease my anxiety 89 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 3: and fear, and help me to be a source of 90 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 3: inspiration not hindrance to those I care about. 91 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: He will do the same for you if you'll wet him. 92 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and 93 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please 94 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: take a second to rate and review this podcast in 95 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: your favorite podcast app so that more listeners like you 96 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts, 97 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: visit us at lifeaudio dot com.