Understand The Word Accurately

II Timothy 2: 14-19

Paul has just quoted what may have been an early Christian hymn that poetically stated Biblical truth. 

(14) Remind them of these things, 

Keep these lyrics, this hymn, on your mind, and before the people. 

and solemnly charge them in the presence of God 

This looks very serious, like an oath. 

not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 

Not to take words out of context, not to argue if a word means this or that without considering the passage it is in. If a certain word can be understood in more than one way, then it's useless to argue about it, just take the tone of the whole passage for the meaning. 

(15) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 

Here's a verse that is much loved and often memorized. 

We all need to be diligent and carefully aware of how we approach God's word. God wants us to be honest and open to receive what He is actually telling us (exegesis, drawing out what is there), not looking for what we want to hear (eisegesis, putting in what we want to be there). 

What God wants to teach us is not always pleasant to our sensibilities, and His standards are never what we would call "politically correct" in our society. Man's standards rarely have ever come even near to the high level of purity and wholesomeness of God's. 

We must take care to handle God's word accurately, so that we understand what God is telling us. To do otherwise is shameful. 

(16) But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 

Arguing about words is more than a waste of time and energy, it leads to further ungodliness. 

(17) and their talk will spread like gangrene. 

This is so dangerous to their faith that Paul says it's like a medical term, gangraina, a sore that eats into the flesh, like gangrene or cancer. 

Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

Then he names two of the teachers there in Ephesus who are spreading this spiritual disease. 

(18) men who have gone astray from the truth saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. 

He even puts his finger on a misinterpretation that they are promoting, that the Day of the Lord has already come; and they have deluded some with this heresy. 

(19) Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the Name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." 

Nevertheless, no matter what people may say or teach, or how widespread the idea reaches, even though all men have believed a lie, God remains true (Romans 3: 4). 

God always knows who are His, and are true to His teachings and ways. And those who are His will know His truth that sets them free from the pull of wickedness, so they will stay away from all that does not conform to reality. 

O my Father, please help us to face Your Word honestly and openly, even when You are telling us where we have been wrong! We react negatively to the messenger who tells us we're wrong, because we want to think we're too smart to fall for deception. 

That's where Eve was deceived, and our enemy has never changed his tactics. The Devil still convinces so many gullible people that they are intelligent and know what's what, and in their pride they cannot hear anything else. 

But, Father, Your word is still true and accurate, and is the reality we need to be aware of. Teach us Your Truth, Father, to have our eyes open to see Your reality around us, and not be seduced into any side-road that would take us off Your path. 

O Father, You have given us everything we need to know, for living today in this world around us, and for preparing for the glory You have for us in the next state we will be in. Help us to connect all the dots, to see the connections between all the stories and all the rules and all the prophesies; to better understand Your Big Picture, and be able to supply whatever pieces that we still find missing in the puzzle. 

My Father, when we can see what You are doing, it builds our trust in You, to persevere when we don't see what You're doing. We know that You know what You're doing, and You don't have to tell us everything. 

Father, send out all of Your children to teach the world how much You love us all, and to let them know that You have already planned out everything that looks so confusing to us. Father, while we're in the midst of the maelstrom swirling around us, may Your peace be upon us to show the world Your power and authority. 

And may every living person hear and understand enough to be able to turn to You, Father God, to Your outstretched hands, to give them Your gracious and generous gift of rescue and salvation and redemption. 

And let no one have any excuse for rejecting Your kind offer. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus! 

Endure Suffering Now And Reign Forever

II Timothy 2: 8-13

Paul has just likened the Christian life to that of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer, all hard workers, training and toiling.  

(8) Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 

Paul personalized the Gospel, that Jesus was born into the royal family of King David, and He rose from the dead to never die again, to reign on David's throne. 

(9) for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 

He is so impassioned for his Lord to be known that he is willing to suffer whatever hardship is necessary, even being mistreated as a criminal. 

Even though he is in prison, the message is not, and is still going out, even more!

(10) For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. 

He will go through all this for his love for those who will believe, his sisters and brothers in the Lord, who will not only be rescued here, but also will sit with King Jesus on His throne ruling with Him, as He sits in His Father's throne. 

(11) It is a trustworthy statement: 

This opening formula is always attached to a maxim relating to doctrine or practice on which full reliance can be placed. 

This is generally thought to be an early Christian hymn. It is in the typical form of Hebrew poetic parallelism, with four "if" clauses. 

For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

This is in the aorist tense, indicating a crisis. Paul spells this out in Romans 6: 3-6, 8, 11. It's only as we die with Christ, in admitting He died our death, that we can have spiritual life with Him right now, as His Holy Spirit lives in us. We must die in order to live. 

(12) If we endure, we will also reign with Him; 

 To endure is in the present continuous tense, indicating that we are to continually keep on enduring to the end, not giving up, to reign with Him on His throne. 

If we deny Him, He also will deny us;  

This does not say we can lose our salvation. If we give in to denying our relationship with Him, He will deny our rewards that would have been due us. We will suffer much loss eternally in our ruling position in doing this, so we must stay strong even in the midst of the maelstrom that will swirl around us. We have the Armor of God (in Ephesians 6: 13-18), in which we will be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. No excuse. 

(13) If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 

Even if we give in to the forces arrayed against us, and are unfaithful to Him, He will still be faithful to us, to do everything He said He would do: in us, to us, for us and through us. Our Lord God is good, and true, and faithful. Nothing can change Him, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We can count on it. And put our full trust in Him. 

O my Father, thank You so much for being who You are, our Almighty God. Thank You for being true to Yourself, so that we can trust You. You have shown Yourself to be completely worthy of all of our trust, regardless of what may be going on around us. 

My Father, strengthen us to withstand whatever the world will throw at us. When we stumble, we will not fall; Your hand will hold us up. When we are perplexed, we will never give in; we can trust that You know what You're doing. When we're persecuted, we know You will not forsake us; and when we are cast down, we will not be destroyed, but You will raise us up. (II Corinthians 4: 8-9.)

Father, even when we will be dying in our flesh, we know that we are alive in Your Spirit forevermore. We need not fear anyone who can only attack us in this world. We've read the last chapter--we win! 

O Father, we who are in Christ are safe. Please send us out as Your messengers and missionaries to share with every living person in the world how much You have loved us all, and want everyone to turn to You to receive Your generous and gracious gift. Father, Your hands are open wide, draw all of Your embryonic children to Yourself. Let everyone understand enough to turn to You, and those who refuse and rebel will have no excuse. 

Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Network The Gospel

II Timothy 2: 1-7

Paul is encouraging Timothy before he leaves the body to be present with the Lord.

(1) You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul considers him to be his son in the Lord, and it is in Christ that we find strength.

(2) The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Paul is handing the baton to Timothy, and instructs him to pass it on to others, who will be faithful and true, to in turn pass it on to others, through the ages, like a relay race. We call this networking, and it works because it is God's plan. This is what God had Moses write the people, to teach the next generation (Deuteronomy 11: 19), and Paul is applying this principle here, too.

It only takes one generation to drop the baton.

(3) Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

He again tells Timothy to expect and be willing to suffer (as in 1: 8), and places it in a military context.

(4) No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Anyone who is on assignment in the military is not thinking about his affairs back home, but is concentrating on the mission, to make it successful.

(5) Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

Then he uses another framework, as an athletic competition. To participate in the Games you must qualify and perform following all the rules that are set for the competition, to not be disqualified from participating.

(6) The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

Then he changes the picture again, to an agrarian one. The farmer who does all the work of producing the crop should receive benefit from what has been produced.

(7) Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 

Paul uses these different illustrations to picture different aspects of our work as Christians and as leaders in God's church.

He tells him to consider what he's told him, to think about it, and pray about it, to let the Holy Spirit teach him the applications of Scripture. God wrote His word in a kind of code that takes His Holy Spirit as the key to unlocking understanding of it, how it all works together, and what to expect so we're not surprised or shocked at what is happening all around us.

We are living in exciting times. As I see things, we are in the Last Days of the End Times that began with Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension and the Day of Pentecost. Now we're beginning to face the chaos and persecution He said would come.

So be strong, people, in the Spirit of the Lord, and be prepared to stand firm against the onslaught of the evil storms brewing and building even now.

O my Father, please help us to be strengthened in the knowledge of what we will be facing soon. Enlarge our perception of Your care for us in protecting us from Your wrath being poured out all around us, trusting in You to have put what wrath we deserve onto Christ Jesus as our Savior. Keep our feet firmly planted, that we will not be moved or shaken in the midst of all the turmoil.

O Father, let Your peace flood our minds, to keep us steady, that the world will know that only You are God.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, do come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Phygelus, Hermogenes and Onesiphorus

II Timothy 1: 15-18

(15) You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

When Paul mentions Asia, he is referencing the Roman province, at the west end of Asia Minor.

Paul spent over three years in Ephesus, and while he was there the Gospel went out all over the province (Acts 19:10). Paul must have been especially disappointed with these two, to name them.

These Asians probably turned away from Paul when he was arrested and taken to Rome in disgrace for his second and final imprisonment.

(16) The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains;

This is one who realized Paul's sterling character, and the chains he was hauled off in didn't denigrate his opinion of him. Paul appreciated his consistent hospitality.

(17) but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me--

This man was determined to find Paul when he went to Rome. There were a lot of prisoners, but he "searched hard" for Paul until he finally found him.

(18) the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day--and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.

Paul reminds Timothy of the services he rendered while he was still at the home church in Ephesus, and prays that God would have mercy on him when Jesus returns on that Day to judge for rewards.

O my Father, I pray for Your church today, please help Your children to see one another with Your eyes, as siblings in Your family. Even when we are hauled away in disgraceful chains. It's when we're treated this way that we'll know who our real friends are.

My Father, strengthen all of Your family members to uphold one another when times of trouble come, and we are being arrested for our faith. Help us all to stand strong for our faith and for one another.

O Father, send out Your children all over the whole world, so that every living person will hear how much You have loved us all, and known each of us, wanting every one of us to turn to You and accept Your generosity and gracious gift.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

The Treasure Entrusted

II Timothy 1: 8-14

(8) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God, 

Paul doesn't want Timothy to feel bad about his imprisonment. He wants Timothy to visit him if he can, and see the conditions he is in, to commiserate with him but also to rejoice with him in what God is doing. 

(9) who 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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 

God has chosen us before He even made the world. So it doesn't depend on anything we do or don't do, it's God's choice. He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus, to do all the work for us and redeem us into His own family. This is given to us as a free gift, that we could never earn or deserve. 

(10) but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, 

This plan of God was manifested by Jesus' first coming. The word for appearing here is often used for His second coming, but here refers to the first, when He came to pay our debt and conquer death, to bring us eternal, spiritual life through the Good News that He has finished that work for us. 

(11) for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 

Paul has been given to be able to preach, and to lay the groundwork for the church, and to teach Christians how to live as royal family members of the King. 

(12) For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; 

Paul is not shamed by the disrespect and mishandling as a prisoner, because he knows that it is because of what he has believed and lived out and taught others. 

for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that Day. 

What Paul has entrusted is what has been left with a trusted associate to keep while the person is away on a trip, that he expects to retrieve upon his return. Like putting your stuff in storage, you expect it to be there when you go for it. 

Paul has entrusted Christ Jesus with his salvation and redemption, and he knows that He is totally trustworthy to keep it safe until the Day of His return. 

(13) Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 

Timothy, and all of us, are to hold on to the high standard of the sound words of Scripture, which Paul taught him, believing them and applying them in our lives and relationships, loving others as Christ Jesus has loved us. 

(14) Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 

Now Paul asks Timothy to keep safe the valuable treasure that he holds, that Paul expects him to share and teach, to promote the Kingdom of God. He is to remain faithful to the truth he has learned through the Holy Spirit who dwells in every Christian. 

Paul is nearing death. He is aware that he will not be travelling any more to share the Gospel, and he is leaving Timothy with his treasure: the sound doctrine, the revelation of Christ Jesus in all its fullness. 

O my Father, You are so good to give us Paul and Moses and Abraham and David. Thank You for Joseph and Isaac and Jacob. Thank You for Isaiah and Jeremiah and Zechariah. Thank You so much, dear Father, for all the kings and prophets and people whose stories teach us Your lessons, and what to expect to come. 

Thank you, my Father, for all the blessings You have given to all of us, in this world, but especially in Your Son, our Lord God, Christ Jesus our King. 

O Father, You have loved us so much that You planned from the beginning, before You did anything to make it so, for Your Son to be our Lord God to prepare us for His first appearing to be our Savior and Redeemer; and to prepare us today for His second, Glorious Appearing, to call us out to Himself. 

Then we will reign with Him over this very Earth for the thousand years of our Golden Age, before it explodes and the Universe implodes, and You will bring about a New Heaven (Universe) and a New Earth(-like Planet) upon which Your Heaven will descend to live with us and us with You forever as Your Family! 

My Father, You have planned it all out ahead of Time itself. Then You have sent Your Son to do the work, to rule and reign, and to prepare us for the glorious future You have decided to give us! 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will sing Your glory, proclaiming that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

The Spirit Of Power, Love And A Sound Mind

II Timothy 1: 1-7

Paul wrote this more personal letter to Timothy probably close to the end of his life.  

(1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,

He identifies himself as an apostle, one who is laying the foundation for the church, because of the will of God, and twice right here, and again in the next verse, the word order of Christ Jesus, which is saying that Jesus is the Anointed One to be Lord God Almighty over all creation. And because He is our Savior, He rose from the dead with a new life to share with us forever. 

(2) To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

He calls Timothy his well-loved son in the Lord, and blesses him with the grace, mercy and peace from both the Father and the Son. The usual greeting included grace and peace, and Paul adds mercy both here and in his first letter to Timothy. 

(3) I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, 

Paul always was careful to have a clear conscience, even before Jesus confronted him on that Damascus road (Acts 9: 3-6), he followed the Jewish religion faithfully, then Jesus turned him around, and he's been faithful in following God's ways. 

as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 

Paul was a prayer warrior, and I don't doubt that he prayed for each of his loved ones by name. This is a good example for us to follow. 

(4) longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 

Timothy may have been emotional at the parting of Paul as a prisoner of Rome. So Paul is wanting to see him with a smile, to visit him in prison and rejoice with him at how God was able to use his imprisonment for the furtherance of the Gospel. 

(5) For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 

Timothy was raised principally by his mother and grandmother, who were faithful Jewesses who taught him the Old Testament, and Timothy most likely recognized Jesus as Messiah under Paul's ministry. 

(6) For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

Paul was no doubt among the elders who performed the ordination ceremony when Timothy was appointed pastor of the church in Ephesus (4: 14). Paul wants him to stir up the flame of the spiritual gift that can otherwise fade into an ember, as a fireplace needs to be stirred up to maintain the flame. 

(7) For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 

This is a very popular verse that is quoted often, as it is such a precious truth to be laid hold of by all of God's children. God's Holy Spirit that He has given to live in us is a spirit of powerful might; and unconditional love; and a sound, healthy, disciplined mind. He gives us the confidence to not be timid or fearful, but boldly confident in the Truth we are given to proclaim. 

And we are to proclaim it to every living person in the world. Everyone needs to know how much God values and loves each one of us, to consider us worth sending His own Son to take our death for us. To purchase us out of the slave-market of sin and be born into the very family of the royal King. 

O my Father, please send out all of Your children into our families, our relatives, our neighbors, our co-workers, our fellow shoppers in the stores and shops we frequent, and out into all the world, that every living person will be able to hear and understand enough to turn to You, Father, to Your open arms, and realize how much You love them and have already met their most important needs! 

And strengthen us, Father, to withstand all the gales of troubles and trials and sorrows this world throws at us. And when Your wrath is poured out upon this world, let us see the thousands falling at our side, and the ten thousands at our right hand, and just stand there watching as it doesn't touch us, because the wrath due us has already been poured out upon Jesus in our place! 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Fight The Good Fight

I Timothy 6: 9-21

Paul has just said how we are to be content with food and covering, the bare necessities. Now he will address what to tell those who have an abundance. 

(9) But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 

Having a generous amount of worldly goods is very dangerous to those who are susceptible to depending on their riches. 

(10) For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

To set your desires on money to have money is a trap, because money is only a tool, not an end in itself. By making money the goal, you will find that you will never have "enough" money. And it will become your god. 

(11) But flee from these things, you man of God, 

Timothy, run away from this attitude, this consideration of wanting to have more money! 

and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 

Instead of monetary wealth, go after spiritual and mental and psychological wealth: 

Righteousness will keep your conscience clear. 

Godliness will help you grow in understanding God's ways. 

Faith will increase your trust in our Lord and Source. 

Love will enable you to obey every law and rule to get along with others and honor God as Father. 

Perseverance will help you endure all the trials and sorrows and troubles this world throws at us. 

And gentleness will take off any hard edge on any of these things, so everything will go smoothly. 

(12) Fight the good fight of faith; 

Sometimes maintaining the Truth is a battle, but keeping in mind the last verse, and remembering that our battles are the Lord's; we can stand our ground and reply graciously to those who would want to tear down our beliefs. 

take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, 

To take hold is to grasp firmly, to not let it slip away. 

and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Timothy has already made his stand, before others who can hold him accountable and strengthen him in his resolve. 

(13) I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, 

He is giving him (and also us) a command, with God the Father in whom is life as his witness. 

and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 

Also the Lord God Jesus is witness, who Himself stood His ground before this high Roman governor. 

(14) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

The command is to stand firm and fast on the Love of God, the foundation of every rule and standard, without anything or any deviation from the pure ways of God, all the way up to the very Glorious Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

This is very important to all of us, especially today in the times we are living in right now. Jesus is coming soon! 

(15) Which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 

He will come at just the time He planned to come, and everything in the world is lining up just as He said they would, for His coming to be our King over the whole world for a thousand years. 

(16) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 

Jesus is the only One who possesses immortality in Himself, so He can give it to us, too. Where He lives is with the Father, and He is Spirit, the source of Light, that would completely immolate a human body that has not received the completed Redemption. 

No one has ever been able to see God the Father. Whenever God appeared, it was the Lord God, the Son, to whom the Father has given Lordship. The Son of God is our Lord God Almighty, who has given the Law to Moses, the promises to Abraham, the prophesies to the prophets. He is the One who will receive the honor and eternal Lordship over all creation, both now and every future universe. 

(17) Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 

Timothy is to teach those in his congregation who have an abundance of worldly wealth to not get puffed up with the importance it brings, but to recognize that God is the Source of everything, and millionaires often lose their millions, and then gain it back, repeatedly. But God is generous to provide all that we need, reliably. Depend on Him, not what He provides. 

(18) Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

Those who have more than they need are to give away the excess, to generously supply the needs of others, to build their Heavenly bank account instead of a worldly one that will disappear. 

(19) storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 

This Heavenly bank account will provide for their eternal life, real life, that lives forever; instead of one here that will be burned up. 

(20) O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge"--

We all need to keep a guard on the pure and true faith that God has given to us, and not be deterred by any worldly "science" that is false and misleading. 

(21) which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. 

There are some who claim to be Christians, but have listened to these "scientists" who claim as "facts" what are only theories, that have never been proven, because they are clever lies from our enemy to pull us away from the faith. 

Grace be with you. 

God's grace is His goodness that we don't deserve. Paul ends this letter with the goodness of God to be poured out on Timothy and his congregation (the you here is plural). God's goodness will keep them faithful and strengthen them against all the attacks that are being perpetrated against them. 

And also to us, as we are also called upon to fight the good fight in our day. 

O my Father, You are so good! You are so gracious and generous to give us Your goodness in all the ways You want us to live our lives every day. 

Please help us to receive Your goodness, to strengthen us in fighting this good fight, standing our ground on Your Truth, and promulgating Your Good News, the Gospel to the whole world. Send us out, Father, so that everyone will hear and have enough understanding to turn to You, away from all the seductions of the devil and the world and their own flesh. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!