New Bible Study: Run Your Race

Do you feel stuck in a holding pattern?  Does every day feel the same and boring, without purpose, meaning, or life?  Is the passion and fire of your faith starting to grow dim?  This past year has been far from perfect, and many people are starting to experience fatigue.  Fatigue from the daily grind of life, fatigue from the uncertainty surrounding us, fatigue from the pandemic, fatigue from face masks and social distancing, fatigue from isolation and loneliness, fatigue from doing daily life.

​As followers of Christ, we all experience moments when the life we’re called to live feels less glamorous and meaningful.  We can lose sight of our mission, purpose, and calling in the daily grind of ordinary, mundane life.  However, the truth is that God has a purpose for our lives and has called us to a high calling.  We have a mission to fulfill, a race to run, and a life to live out for His glory.  
 
Therefore, this fall I am excited to start a new Bible study that will renew our faith, remind us of our purpose, and rekindle our passion.  I first studied this book eight years ago.  It lit a fire in me for God and made Him personal, real, and worthy of my devotion.  It was a turning point in my life and walk with Christ, which set me on the path of loving God and His Word.  Therefore, I am excited to go through this book again and be re-inspired and encouraged by the truths found in it.  I also pray that this book will also challenge and encourage you in your spiritual walk with God.  So please join me in exploring and learning from the deeply personal and powerful book of 2 Timothy.

---

​In the corner of a dungy prison pit, a seasoned gentleman stoops over a parchment roll and writes in the dim light streaming through the grates in the ceiling.  He is in the pit reserved for death row prisoners and knows that his time left on earth is short.  However, if one carefully looked at his face, there would be no signs of despair or distress.  Rather, his eyes glow with an inner warmth and peace, possessing an expectant, hopeful gleam.  But he quickly returns to his writing like a man with an important and urgent message and not enough time to convey it.
 
The man is the Apostle Paul, and the letter he was writing is 2 Timothy.  Written from the Maritime Prison in Rome around 64 AD, this epistle to Timothy is one of the most personal of all Paul’s letters.  It was his last words and final encouragement to a man he considered a son in the faith.  In it, Paul pours out his heart and imparts final exhortations.  The final words of a dying man are important and summarize his life and purpose.  Therefore, as we study 2 Timothy, we will see the great Apostle Paul in a new light.  We will glean from the wisdom and spiritual advice to Timothy in his farewell letter filled with love, hope, and faith in God.
 
The book of 2 Timothy is applicable for all people in all seasons of the spiritual journey.  However, this book is of special importance and significance for young people as it is directed to a young man towards the beginning of his ministry.  So join me in studying this deeply personal and powerful letter, and learn how we can faithfully run and finish our race of faith and pass the baton on to the next generation!  

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
~2 Timothy 4:7-8