Hello, and welcome back to Tabernacle Tidbits. Today we are in 2 Timothy 1 and verse number 9.
In verse number 8, Paul told Timothy that he didn't want him to be ashamed about Jesus or about Paul, even though he was imprisoned. Instead, he encouraged him to share in suffering for the gospel while relying on God's power.
And then now in verse number 9, there's kind of an example of, okay, why would you share in suffering for the gospel?
Why wouldn't you be ashamed of Jesus, who died this ignoble death on the cross, a death that would be derided, someone that would be viewed as kind of the worst of the worst by the Roman world of why else would someone be crucified?
Verse number 9 says this, he has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. One of the amazing group of words.
First off, he says he has saved us. What a wonderful truth that though we were far off from God, we were alienated, we were not on the path to everlasting life.
Instead, we were on the path to everlasting death, and condemnation, and separation from God forever. But he saved us. And what a wonderful truth that is.
But he did not merely save us. Instead, he also called us with a holy calling. That God has a call for holiness for your life.
That you would be holy, set apart, living the Jesus way, living God's way, not your own way. He has called us to that. And then certainly, as we look at the totality of Scripture, we could see that God has called us into our particular families.
God has called us into our jobs, into our churches.
And in those places, he expects that we would live in such a way that is glorifying to him, that is helpful and beneficial to others, that we would lead others to know the Lord, and that we would do good works, that we would say kind things, that we
would do good actions that would cause people to give thanks to God for us because of what we have done. So God has saved us. He has called us with a holy calling. He says, not according to our works.
It's not because we did anything. It's not just that those that, you know, live a perfect enough life, get a holy calling from the Lord or get saved. Instead, it's not through your works that you're saved.
It is not through your works that you find your calling from the Lord. It's not just that those that, you know, don't make any mistakes for the first, you know, 25, 30 years of their life.
It's not that God calls those people into full time ministry and anyone that messes up, okay, well, you get a calling from God. It's just not a holy calling. No, no, no, no, not at all.
God has given you a holy calling for your life and your job and your family and your neighborhood and your friends because of him and his own purpose and grace, which is the next part of what that says, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, his gift, his intentions. God has a plan for you and God has a plan for those in your life and God has a plan for the glory of himself and of his church that he wants to accomplish through how you love and interact with
others. And it says his purpose and his grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. That is, even before God ever made the world, he knew that he was going to save you.
He knew what your calling would be and he was going to give you that grace. And it says that was put on our life before time even began.
There has been no point in human history where God's been like, oh man, well, I really wonder, you know, is Brian going to accept me? Is he going to get saved? No, no, no.
He is the one who knows the end from the beginning. And he knew all along, he knew all along every single person that would come to know him as Savior. And so he intentionally placed his grace on me.
If you know the Lord, he placed his grace on you before time began. And what a comfort that as I'm walking through my life, I am not having to worry about like, God, did you see this coming? No, no, no.
He already gave me the holy calling and the grace to be able to navigate it in Christ Jesus before time began. And what a wonderful truth that we can turn to Jesus and we can find grace to help in time of need.
Today, are you thankful that God saved you? Are you living your life according to his holy calling?
And are you thankful that it is because he loves you, he has a plan for you, and he has given his grace to you, that you are able to walk with him and to love others as he would have you to? Thanks for tuning in, have a great day.
