“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”-2 Timothy 1:7
When we personally come to know Jesus and put our trust in Him as Lord and Savior, a new life begins (2 Corinthians 5:17)! God does something so remarkable, He cleanses us of all our sin, and then puts us on a whole new trajectory, following His will, resting in His love, and learning to love God and love people with all we are. We aren’t the same! Yet, how often and how easily we can forget who we are now in Christ. We can be sure of this too: Satan doesn’t want us to know or remember who we are in Christ. He does all he can to distract us and deter us from the new person we have become. Nonetheless, we are a new person if we belong to Jesus! So, how can we readily recall who we truly are every day?
God worked through the Apostle Paul to teach and disciple many people as God established the early church. Among some of the young Christians Paul mentored was Timothy. In first and second Timothy, we read of Paul encouraging Timothy to remember who he had become in Christ, to remember what God had done in him. Ultimately, these words, inspired by God, were to be for every Christian to come. They are powerful words to remind all of us who we truly are now in Christ! 2 Timothy 1:7 says it this way, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Isn't that super?! When Timothy trusted in Christ, the Holy Spirit filled him up with Himself. This is true for all of us in Christ!
Now we no longer need to be fearful or timid. Rather, we have God in us, and He brings His power! Power for what? We now have His power in us to resist temptation when it comes in a variety of ways. We now have power to think and act differently than we previously did. Power to live, no longer for ourselves, but for God’s glory and the good of others. We now also have direct access to divine love, straight from Jesus! We are loved, so we can now love like we’re loved (1 John 4:19). Self-discipline is now another quality at our fingertips because of what God has done in us! We don’t have to be lazy, unproductive, or complacent anymore.
Don’t we all need to be reminded of who we are in Christ? For sure, we do! So, may we read 2 Timothy 1:7 again and again, and count on it! Better yet, let’s memorize it and recollect daily who we are in Christ.
Godspeed, friends!
-Scott