2 Timothy 2:11-13
This saying is trustworthy: Indeed, if we have died with him, we will also live with him; If we endure, we will also reign with him; If we deny him, he will also deny us; If we are faithless, he remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself.
Dear Lord Jesus,
If we have died with you, you have also promised that we will live with you, going to heaven and reigning alongside you in your heavenly kingdom.
To die with you means we live by faith in you, trusting in the salvation you have won for us. Faith is not something we come up with on our own, but the Holy Spirit instills it in us through the Means of Grace. Paul also wrote to the Romans, “Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Through our baptisms, we are confident of the forgiveness of sins, knowing that you have forgiven every one of our sins by your holy suffering and innocent death on the cross.
So, we ask that you send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith so that we will endure in faith to the end of our lives. The world comes at us with various temptations to lure us away from you; it wants to destroy our faith. The only way to overcome them is to remain faithful to you, and when we are faithful, you promise to be steadfast in return. As Paul wrote, you cannot deny yourself; you come to us in faith and live in us, and if you are in us, you cannot deny yourself nor us.
Lord, continue to live in us, your faithful people; give us opportunities to share the good news of salvation, which comes to all by faith alone in you. Let your Holy Spirit work in others around us so they know, trust, and believe in you. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Temptations will come at you, but remain strong and trust in Jesus. When you fall into temptation, go to Jesus in repentance and know he has forgiven all your sins. Endure in Christ to the end!