Last Words
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Today’s Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Most scholars believe that 2 Timothy was the apostle Paul’s final letter and that he was martyred shortly thereafter.
Tradition has it that the apostle Paul was beheaded under the reign of Nero. Beheading was deemed a noble form of execution—fitting for a citizen of the Roman Empire, as Paul was.
Of course, that may be the only “noble” aspect of his martyrdom. Nero was at least a sociopath, and probably a psychopath. Historians tell us that he is the one who started the fire that burned down Rome and then blamed the Christians for it. His reason for doing that was nothing more than to gain political leverage—in a similar way to how some world leaders might (cynically speaking) embark on a military campaign right before an election.
And so Paul and Peter, and many other Christians, simply became the victims of political machinations. And to lesser degrees, that is simply the way of the world. It is discouragingly common to find people doing and saying anything simply to get what they want.
But the apostle Paul models for us Christians a different way to live. We are called to fight the good fight, to persevere to the end, to keep the faith. And our incentive is the “crown of righteousness” that we will receive from the Lord “on that day.”
It’s easy to understand why the apostle Paul “longed for His appearing.” But in the comfort of the South Bay, in these United States, in 2025, do I also long for Christ’s appearing?
Yes.
I get to enjoy so many blessings in this life, according to God’s abundant grace. And those blessings are incredibly significant—my health, my family, this community, my home.
Yet, if I long for those blessings more than I long for Christ’s appearing, how much do I really understand the word of God?
But the point of longing for Christ’s appearing is not to pine over something we don’t have. It is to give us strength and courage to live for Christ in this life. Or maybe it is more accurate to say, “to die with Christ in this life.”
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
— Galatians 2:20
Every message that I preach really ought be as if it is the last message I will ever preach.
More than that, though, should not my life reflect the same? But it is not my place to condemn anyone, even myself, on such matters: “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (Ephesians 4:7).
But in whatever manner Christ has apportioned His grace to me, I desire to exercise it to the fullest extent.
Father, every good and perfect gift comes from You. But You have given me every gift to be used for Your glory and to reflect Your glory. Forgive me when I fall short in using those gifts. But change my heart, as You have saved me and You are my God… Change my heart and grow my passion and devotion to You in all things. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
