Staying Faithful to God by Choice

 “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’” (Psalm 92:12-15)

What does it look like to stay fresh and green?

• To stay fresh and green means to stay faithful to the Lord and useful to Him in bearing fruit.
• In many of his last letters, and especially in 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul showed us in his life and in his words how we can stay faithful to Jesus for a lifetime.

About Paul and Timothy

• Timothy was a teenager when he met Paul (Acts 16). Timothy’s mom and grandmother were faithful Jewish women who taught the Old Testament scriptures to him. As the women heard Paul preach, they believed in Jesus, and so did Timothy.
• Paul invited Timothy to travel with him on his second missionary journey. Timothy helped Paul as he preached throughout Greece. When Paul was in Ephesus teaching the Ephesians about the amazing power of God, Timothy was there, too.
• When Paul was under Roman house arrest for two years, Timothy was right alongside him much of the time, unselfishly taking care of Paul’s needs.
• After being set free, Paul and Timothy traveled to visit the churches they had founded. When they got to Ephesus, Paul left Timothy to teach truth to the church there while Paul went on to Macedonia. From there, he wrote the letter we have called First Timothy.
• Paul was arrested again and thrown into a cold dungeon in Rome. He wrote the letter called Second Timothy. In this letter, Paul reminds Timothy to stay faithful to the truth in spite of the persecution and suffering.

Stay faithful no matter what

“‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:23)

• The definition of faithful is “unwavering in belief, consistently loyal.” We all want those closest to us to remain faithful to us. Faithfulness is an important character quality.
• Our God is a faithful God. He is consistently loyal to those whom He loves and who place their trust in Him.
• God desires that we also be faithful to Him—to be unwavering in belief and consistently loyal to Him throughout our lifetime. The great news is that God is also the One who enables us to live faithfully as we choose to do so. We make the choice. He empowers us to live out that choice.
• Throughout this study of 2 Timothy, we will see faithfulness encouraged and lived out. We will see the importance of staying faithful to Jesus. We will see the importance of staying faithful to God’s truth from His Word and what we learn from those who have taught us truth. 2 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 3:14
• We will see the importance of staying faithful to the community of believers, especially during tough times.
• Paul knew His God. He knew God was trustworthy. Paul chose to be unwavering in belief and consistently loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ—even as an old man in his 60s, in a Roman dungeon, with memories of persecution and beatings still engraved in his brain, and awaiting execution at any moment. He chose to stay fresh and green and write this beautiful letter of encouragement that not only fed Timothy’s soul but millions of other Christians who have clung to its verses for the past 2000 years. We learn from Paul how to make choices to stay fresh and green while we are growing older.

Make choices to stay fresh and green while growing old

• Choose to stay tuned to the needs of the people around you and desire to reach them and teach them.
• Approach your Bible study with fresh eyes every day, looking for the new things the Lord will be teaching you and how you can share that with someone who needs to know it.
• Recognize God’s work in your life every day, not just what He did years ago. Being aware of God’s presence and goodness daily gives you a new song to share about what the Lord is doing in your life today.

Through this study of Second Timothy, we are going to learn together how to stay faithful to our God—lifelong faithfulness. We will learn how to be unwavering in belief and consistently loyal to Him as we live each day. We can stay faithful to His truth, to His people, to His ways, to His reputation, and to His purposes for our lives. And, our faithful God is the One who enables us to do so. The wisdom of His Word and His Spirit living inside us together give us the ability to remain faithful, to stay fresh and green and fruitful for Him. The choice is up to you.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His faithfulness. Then, make the choice to stay faithful to Him for the rest of your life.

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