GOD Did Not Give Us A Spirit Of Bashfulness

Hello! and happy Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul"  today:

THE GOOD NEWS (26 January 2016)

"From Paul, apostle of CHRIST JESUS by the will of GOD, for the sake of HIS promise of eternal life in CHRIST JESUS, to my dear son Timothy.

May grace, mercy and peace be with you from GOD the FATHER and CHRIST JESUS our LORD.

I give thanks to GOD whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers.  I recall your tears and I long to see you that I may be filled with joy.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited.

For this reason I invite you to fan into a flame the gift of GOD you received through the laying on of my hands.  For GOD did not confer on us a spirit of bashfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment.  Do not be ashamed of testifying to our LORD, nor of seeing me in chains.  On the contrary, do your share in laboring for the Gospel with the strength of GOD." - 2 Timothy 1:1-8

Paul and Timothy

(Fan into a flame the gift you received.  Paul tries to give his own energy to Timothy and he reminds him of GOD's love and promises.

The sound doctrine... the precious deposit... which you have heard from me.  The doctrine of the faith cannot be altered, but neither can it be in storage.  It must be lived, which brings into play our creativity as well as that of the Holy Spirit that lets it be rediscovered each day.

He is capable of taking care of all I have entrusted to him.  These words invite us to remember the exact meaning of the word "faith."  In Hebrew, for the Old Testament, the word "faith" had the same root as "to be firm", or "to lean on something."  In Greek, the word that has become "faith" signifies both the trust that could be had in a debtor, and the guarantee given to the creditor.  So Paul considers all his apostolic life as the deposit he has placed in GOD's hands.  Like Paul a person of faith is not deceived by the mirages of a happy life but prefers to use his life in an often thankless labor and persevere as if he already saw what couldn't yet be seen [Hebrew 11:27].)