Lesson 25: Enduring with hope
2 Timothy 2:7-14 - www.bible.com/bible/59/2ti.2

7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

For the last few lessons we have learned about some of the things we are to endure – like battle and suffering and doing the right thing. In this and the next two lessons we learn HOW we can endure such things. The first of the “how’s” is hope.

Think of a time when you went on a long journey. Maybe you traveled by car and you became very tired of sitting those seemingly endless hours as scenery (in which you had long since lost interest) passed by the windows. Maybe you traveled by airplane and the long hours of waiting in the crowded airport seemed to never end. Maybe you traveled by train and that endless clacking of wheels on tracks seem to haunt even your sleep. How do you get through? You do so by thinking of where you are going and the great things you will experience there. This is called “hope.”


Read the verses above again. Do you see the hope in Paul’s words to Timothy?
There is hope for one day understanding everything you’ve gone through in life – 1 Corinthians 13: 12.
There is the hope of Christ’s resurrection power available to our use – 2 Timothy 4:17.
There is hope of being set free to serve Christ as He asks us to – Zechariah 4:6.
There is hope for one day living with Christ in His home – John 14:1-6.
There is hope for the time we will be reigning with Him in His kingdom – Matthew 25:14-30.

Hope for what is certainly coming (even if we cannot see it at this time) is a powerful thing in our life to help us endure. But such hope must be based on promises which can never fail. If I were to promise you within a year you’d receive a treasure worth more than you could count, you would do well to check and see if I had such treasure to be able to give you. You would want to make sure I could keep my promise before you placed your hope in me. You would do well to check, for you would find I have no such ability to keep such a promise. God’s promises are also things you can verify. You can test such promises as Luke 12:12, James 1:5, Matthew 11:28, or any promise He makes for immediate use to you. Make sure you are asking for His will rather than your own – He will answer and show you His promises can never be broken.

*What words of hope in these verses help you today to continue walking with Jesus?