A Dying Man's Final Instructions

We're supposed to read 1st and 2nd Timothy for New Testament on Monday, and I read 1st Timothy fine and dandy. Paul was going to be alright. He gave Timothy instruction on how to be a young preacher. "Guard what has been entrusted to your care." 1st Timothy 6:20. I read the introduction to 2nd Timothy in Keener's Commentary and was shocked by what I saw. It said that this was to be Paul's final letter. 

At that point, I nearly dropped my bible. I remember thinking "WHAT?! This can't be his final letter! I relate to him too much!" I started to read the book of 2nd Timothy. I read "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:1) I began to weep. He had finally accepted his fate. He knew he was going to die. One question that I had running through my mind as I began the letter was "Why didn't he fight it?" Then I read further. He talked a couple of times about being abandoned by everyone he knew. (ex: 1:15, 4:10, 16.) Having recently felt the same, I know how draining it is. He probably didn't have enough energy or strength left to fight. Dr. Castleman said something that caught my attention in New Testament yesterday: "Paul's out of his element! He's a minister. He likes preaching to people. Being in a Jail cell hurts him because he can't do what he was called to do!" Being a person who likes being around others, I know how it feels to be isolated (though that's mainly my fault recently) and that it just sucks. I can think of no other term to describe it.

One thing I noticed now that I'm writing this post and thinking about it, Paul did fight. He was put in jail, probably Satan trying to keep him from doing what he does best. I can see a little red guy with a pitchfork and pointed tail jumping up and down laughing like a maniac. But I can also see that little red guy suddenly stop when he sees Paul begin to speak his letter to the scribe. Now I see a little red guy snapping a pitchfork in half and throwing it away angrily. Paul wasn't giving up,

He was passing the torch.

That though just hit me. Whoa. Paul was doing something better than fighting the man and trying to fight his upcoming death, he was passing the torch to someone who was younger and could step into the shoes it required to be a disciple. hang on a second...let me kinda wrap my mind around this concept..(don't judge me! It makes it easier to think when I type what I'm thinking...)..Instead of fighting to get out of jail to minister again, he passed the job to someone who he knew could handle it. There's a good image of this passing the torch in Ch 2, verses 1-7. He uses several analogies to describe what it means to follow Christ.

So now comes the challenge: do we take Paul's words to heart? Do we testify the Gospel or are we ashamed of God and his prisoners? Do we keep the pattern of sound teaching or do we abandon it? Do we trust in the promise of eternal life or do we disown it? Are we faithful? Do we participate in godless chatter, or do we correctly handle the words of truth? Are we equipped with the Words of God, or do we ignore those words that are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness?

Do we pick up the torch or do we ignore the pleas of a dying man?