1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day 4longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.
6For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 8Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, 10but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News. 11For this I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12For this cause I also suffer these things.
Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
13Hold the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
15This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me, of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, 17but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently and found me 18(the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.
Not a God of Confusion
Riot Police in the Street
Almost every day, I can look on the internet at a news channel or on X.com (formerly Twitter), and I can see chaos breaking out somewhere on planet Earth. It might be anarchists in Portland, Oregon, burning up buildings and setting up war zones. It might be illegal migrants and leftists throwing bottles and rocks at police officers. It might be chaos in the courts as they try to determine whether men can pretend they are women and compete in women’s sporting events. It might be drug cartels taking over Mexico and supplanting the police. It might even be leftists in America screaming and complaining that legitimate enforcement of laws is a “threat to democracy”, while the truth is that they are the greatest threat to democracy in our nation’s history. And yes, it might be the police usurping their authority and waging violence on innocent civilians.
WHEREVER, WHENEVER, AND WHATEVER the chaos might be, it has its origins in the bowels of hell. It always partners up with fear. It is a product of the enemy of our souls. Jesus cautioned, he comes to “steal, kill, and DESTROY”. Anarchists are hell-bent on destruction. They want to “bring down the system,” but they never articulate clearly what system they want to put in its place. The enemy has no plan. He desires to steal, kill, and destroy. However, God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Paul adds that this especially includes the goings-on inside the church. When war and division break out in the church over the color of the carpet or some complaint about the music, the enemy is at work. Confusion and chaos don’t come from God. This theological understanding will help us to identify and attack the enemy’s plans of operation. When we see chaos, the enemy is at work, and spiritual warfare is in order.
And reader, this goes for your life as well. When you see chaos in your life accompanied by fear in your heart, reach out to God. God is not a God of confusion, but of sanity and order. Scripture tells us clearly that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) That’s pretty much the opposite of chaos. That’s where we’re supposed to abide and rest. Ask God to turn down the static in your life. Ask Him to give you clarity. Ask Him to remove the chaos. He will do it.