2 Timothy 1:9-10
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
During my lifetime I have had opportunity to spend some time in fruit orchards . . . and cannot recall ever hearing groans from the trees as they produced luscious fruit. I have also walked down the long rows of onions while slicing off the seed pods for a seed company . . . and never once heard the onion plants groaning as they matured. The trees and the onions did the thing they were designed for—they grew and produced after their own kind.
Sometimes it seems that we try our best to be something other than what God designed us to be. In writing this second letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul clears the deck and lays it out for all of us to see. We are all called to a holy life.
Paul is quick to add that there is nothing that Timothy can do to merit this holy life, and that point carries down to us as well. The holy life is not achieved by what we accomplish, but by what Jesus has done for us from the very beginning of time.
God’s great and magnificent grace! Not what we deserve, but what we need. The Lord knows our inability to be holy and He has provided Himself as our strength. As we turn our life over to Him, our roots sink down into the rich soil of His love and He becomes our holiness. Allow Him to be your all in all.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil