1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (NKJV)
- Be aggressive
Verse 1 does not talk about physical strength but spiritual strength. Be powerful for God. Be aggressive for the Lord. Tell others about what God has done for you. However, do it through His grace. When the Holy Spirit gives, you the opportunity take it. The Father gave us the ability to be strong through His Son Jesus Christ. God gives us grace. Grace is unmerited favor. Unmerited favor is receiving something you do not deserve. It is like going to court for a speeding ticket and the judge decides to let you get by with only paying court costs instead of the whole ticket. That is grace. You did nothing to deserve it. Grace is receiving good things we have done nothing to earn. I know I received grace at birth in that I was born in the United States . I could have been born somewhere else. Many things in life we get are by grace. We do not deserve them.
Notice the verse says, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” If we try to be strong with our own strength, we will fail. We cannot serve God on our own strength. That is why religion does not work. Religion is man’s way to God. Religion is man’s physical and mental strength to try to show God that we do not need His help. We cannot be spiritual strong without grace through Christ. Trying to serve God on your own will only bring you frustration. Another way to say this verse is perhaps “be aggressive in Christ Jesus who gives you His unmerited favor.”
- Be a leader-pass it on
Verse two Paul says what you learned from me make sure you passed it down to others who will pass it on to others and so on and so on. Paul received the Gospel from God and passed to Timothy who passed it on to others. That is what our job is. God calls all Christians to be full time ministers of the gospel. When you accepted Christ as your Savior, you became a Christian. Not just on Sunday or at church but twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. You placed your eternal destiny in His hands in exchange to follow Him. What we accomplish in this present life is meaningless unless it stands for eternity. The question every Christian must answer: What have you done with Jesus Christ? Did you tell others about Him? Did you try to live a life that was pleasing to Him? Or did you just live life your way?
