FBC Daily Devotions

LONGING FOR HIS APPEARING

Read 2 Timothy 4:8.

The promise of a crown of righteousness was not for Paul only, not even for those like Paul, but for everyone who had longed for his appearing. A single word in the Greek original is translated “have longed for” in the NIV translation and “have loved” in the NAS. The original carries a slightly different flavor, however. The word means literally “having loved”. Looking at the thought as a whole, it literally says, “- and not only to me, but also to all the ones having loved the appearing of him.” In other words, those who when Christ appears on that day of judgment are overjoyed by his appearing, they will receive a crown of righteousnss. There is a sort of cause and effect relationship between our reaction at his appearing and the receiving of that crown. It seems that because of our strong favorable reaction to Jesus’ appearing at judgment, we will be rewarded.

Why is this important? First I would not go so far as to say that our reaction to Christ on the day of judgment will determine our destiny nor even our rewards. I would, however, say that how we react to Christ will be a reflection of what we thought of Him in this life.  The ones who served Christ and suffered for Him, the ones who fought the good fight and ran the race well, these will be the ones who will love His appearing. That is perhaps why the NIV and other translations translate this passage as “all who have longed for Christ’s appearing.” Our thoughts of Christ now are directly connected to our reaction to Him later.

Again, why is this important? Ask yourself that question. How do you want to react at the appearing of Christ?

A CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Read 2 Timothy 4:8.

The Bible speaks of many crowns that we will receive when we enter eternity. There is the crown of life promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).There is the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4). And there are numerous references to crowns in John’s Revelation (11 in total) that are mysterious and yet stir the senses in anticipation of their fulfillment. But Paul at the end of his days refers to a crown of righteousness. He speaks of it as not something yet gained, but something to be rewarded to him in eternity. I believe the crown symbolizes the full realization of righteousness in Christ. In this world and in this life, we struggle to be righteous, and yet we know that Christ’s righteousness covers us so that through Christ we already are righteous in God’s eyes. However, we still sruggle with righteousness while we live in this body of flesh and sin. Paul can look ahead to the day he will receive that reward of righteousness, the day when he is gven a crown in effect saying, “You made it! Christ’s righteousness is now fully realized in you.”

To consider: Do you look forward to receiving a crown of righteousness someday? Why might Paul (or any of us for that matter) desire this crown of righteousness? What might it look and feel like to attain the full reality of righteousness in our lives?

For the past month, the service we use to forward these posts to email has not been functioning properly. Currently it is set to send emails daily, however, it doesn’t actually send with any predictable regularity. I am looking into perhaps changing services. Until then, please check the website when you don’t receive an email of the day’s post. Sorry for the inconveniece — something that’s out of my control. Thanks – Mike

THE IMAGES OF LIFE IN THIS WORLD

Read 2 Timothy 4:7.

Paul creates several images of life in this verse. He calls life a fight, a race, and a stewardship (“I have kept the faith”). Each image portrays something unique about life. For today, consider:

1) How is life like a fight? (Note that we are fighting a good fight.) Think of one or two things we fight for and against as Christians.

2) How is life like a race? What are we racing for? Think of one or two things in your life that are like a race.

3) How is life like a stewardship or responsibility entrusted to us by God? How should that affect how one lives?

For the next several weeks, I will be short on time and will need to shorten the devotionals. Perhaps that is a welcome reprieve from the longer postings of the last month. :) One of our strongest commitments is to help you develop a more Christ-centered life. Spending time in God’s Word is one of the key means we use to do this. What will this mean for the next few weeks? It will mean you having to spend a little more time meditating on the key truths of the reading, and reflecting on your own with the Holy Spirit as your guide. I trust that as you spend time in His Word, you may learn far more than I could ever write!