“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness” (Titus 1:1)

We are all slaves of the Lord.  Do not think that we have any ability to negotiate with the Lord.  He bids us come just as we are.  Come and receive the grace and mercy you need.  Come and be led in the truth of His ever-abiding word of truth.  Know that He to whom you give your loyalty is the One who made all things.  He gives you the promise of redemption and opens your eyes to truth.

Lord, all godliness comes from You alone.  Help me, Lord, to walk humbly with You.  Guide me in the way of truth so that, like Paul and all of the saints whom You have called over the ages, I might humbly submit to You, my Lord and my God.  Lead me in truth, for Your word is truth.  Guide me to put into practice these things which You are teaching me.  Lord, You know all that is needed. 

Lord Jesus, You have brought into my life all I need to submit and humbly walk with You.  Guide me, O Lord, that I may now and always walk knowing that You are Lord.  Lead me according to Your goodness in the way of grace and mercy.  Lord, You know all that is needed.  You know what I need.  Lead me, Lord, so that I may live into the knowledge of truth and godliness which comes by Your grace alone.  Amen.

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.  Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.  Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you” (2 Timothy 4:19-22)

Listen to the list of the first saints in Europe.  The Lord has called many who have come in faith and are amongst the witnesses.  There are a cloud of witnesses to the faith.  You have been called to be amongst them.  Come then and live into this faith that you have been given.  Do not be counted as great in the world but be counted as among the saints of glory whom the Lord has called.

Lord, it is a matter of right priorities.  Guide me, Lord, so that no matter my position in this world I may be guided by the gift of grace for the world to come.  You have given me grace and mercy, enough to live into the life that comes through faith.  Help me to live the better portion and be guided by Your Word in all that I say and do.  Lead me, Lord, with right priorities and in the right direction.

Thank You Lord Jesus for preparing the way to walk humbly with You into eternity.  Guide me this day to join with the cloud of witnesses that have followed You.  May Your Spirit be with my spirit that in all I say and do, You are present and leading me.  Guide me, O Lord, now and forever in the way of everlasting life.  You are the One who leads and must lead.  Teach me to follow.  Amen.

“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:17-18).

The Lord is the One who preserves us according to His will.  Be guided then by the Lord that you may learn to hold fast no matter what may come.  Know that in the Lord is all truth and the only future worth living.  In Him you have hope.  Apart from Him is separation and death.  Come then and walk humbly with your Maker and know that He who made you has provided the way of life.

Lord, lead me in the way of truth.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see that in You is all hope and an eternal future.  Lead me Lord and help me to follow.  Guide me always in the way You know I need to go.  Help me to see through this age and its fog.  Guide me by the mercy of grace You provide so that I may have the needed time to understand these things.  Lead me, Lord, and I will be led.  Guide me, Lord, and help my feet to follow.  You alone know the way we need to go.

Lord Jesus, You are the way, truth, and life.  Guide me according to Your goodness to walk in the grace You have provided me.  Grow in me strength of character and the willingness to go where You would have me go.  Lead me, O Lord, and help me to always follow where You lead.  In You alone, Lord, is hope and an eternal future.  Bring me safely into Your heavenly kingdom.  Amen. 

St. Martin’s Lutheran Church of Archbold, Ohio is seeking two part-time leaders or one full-time youth ministry leader to fill a newly created position.  We are an ELCA congregation and intend to stay an ELCA congregation, but we are looking for a gifted person who can be a strong leader for our youth with a Lutheran understanding.  Ministry posting is open until May 1, 2022.  Contact may be made with Deacon Steve Basselman at steveb@the-welcome-place.org and a complete job description is available on our website: www.the-welcome-place.org

“Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.  At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!” (2 Timothy 4:15-16)

Holding to the truth is not as easy as saying that you will do it.  There are times when we are tried.  Hold fast and even if you have chosen what is wrong, repent and come into the truth.  Do not be opposed to what the Lord has shown you to be true.  In season and out of season, be willing to live in the truth.  Christ has come so that all who believe would not perish but have everlasting life.

Lord, You have spoken Your word and it is in me.  You have revealed all truth and my biggest problem has been where I resist the truth.  Lead me, Lord, to live the truth You have revealed and to hold fast to what is true.  Show me where I am wandering and lead me according to Your goodness and mercy to do what is right always.  Lead me in the way of truth forevermore.

Dear Jesus, You went to the cross abandoned by almost all of your followers, who went their own way in fear.  Lead me, O Lord, according to Your goodness in order that I would forever hold fast to the truth of all that You have done, shared, and called us to be.  Guide me according to Your goodness so that I would learn to hold fast to what is good, right and salutary.  Let me not wander or go astray but hold fast to the truth.  Amen.

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.  Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds” (2 Timothy 4:13-14).

How human and ordinary Paul is.  “Bring my cloak.”  We each have needs and sometimes we forget how blessed we are.  In our day we would have someone run to Walmart and get us a jacket.  Paul needs something that is not so readily available.  Be thankful for your circumstances and know that in the Lord there is nothing but hope and an eternal future.  He does provide.

Lord, guide me in the way of goodness.  Help me understand that in You is all hope.  You have so abundantly provided for our every need.  Paul was not complaining that He owned only one jacket.  We, who have so much abundance, are still not satisfied.  That is because only in You can we be satisfied.  Lead me, Lord, to see that in You is all hope and an eternal future.

Lord Jesus, You have provided grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy.  I need to be cloaked in Your goodness.  Help me, O Lord, to see through the nonsense of this age so that I may walk humbly with what You provide.  Guide me into the goodness which is mine in You.  Lead me to see that You have already provided for what I need.  Lead me in Your provision with thanksgiving.  Amen. 

“Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.  Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus” (2 Timothy 4:11-12).

Do see how connected the early church fathers were — Luke, Paul, and Mark.  As they wrote what would become Scripture, they worked together closely.  See how Scripture is written to different communities, but also tells the same story.  Be guided by the goodness and mercy of the Father and know that He wants His word to dwell richly in you.  Be a part of the ongoing ministry of the Lord.

Lord, You know that I am constantly tugged by conflicting ideas in the world.  Here You show that Your people work together under the direction of Your Holy Spirit.  Guide me, Lord, in the way You know I need to go.  Lead me according to Your purpose that I would now and always be led by You.  Help me, Lord, to see that in You is all goodness.  Help me to see that You bring people together to fulfill Your will.

Come, Holy Spirit, and in the love of God and the grace of Christ, lead me as a part of Your team.  Guide me that I may now and always be led by You above the noise of this world.  Help me to see that in God is all hope and a glorious future.  Bring me together with others who love You, lord, that I may serve You according to Your eternal purpose. In You I have my being and apart from You I am nothing.  Amen.

“Do your best to come to me soon.  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:8-9).

The tug-of-war between this world and living in the promise of Christ is real.  We live it each day.  Each day ask yourself where your priorities are.  Ask whether you will live as one who trusts the Lord above all things.  This very real question is the basis of living into the life of Christ which He gives through faith and by grace.  Come then and set your heart on the true wealth.

Lord, You know the struggle I have each day to live according to Your goodness and mercy.  Lead me this day Lord to live in the faith You have given me.  Help me to say, ”Not my will, but thine be done.”  Guide me according to all that is good and right so that I would forever hold fast to the truth which You have revealed once for all.  Lead me, O Lord, now and always in order that I may walk with You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way and be the example of obedience.  Guide me, Lord, where You know I need to be led.  Help me to overcome the temptations which shall come my way knowing that only in You is there hope and an eternal future worth living.  Help me when the time comes to leave this world behind and cling to You forevermore.  In You alone Lord do I have hope for every tomorrow.  Amen.

“Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

A crown is that which is given you.  No king ever deserved to be king, they were crowned king.  We are given the righteousness of Christ by His merit.  Live under the yolk of gentle Christ, for He gives His righteousness to those who believe.  Know that in Him is all hope and an eternal future.  Be guided in the goodness of Christ our Savior to walk humbly and joyfully in His salvation.

Lord teach me to love You and to look forward to Your glorious appearing.  Guide me in all goodness so that I would forever be in Your arms of love.  You have granted these things by Your merit and called us all into the righteousness that You give by grace.  Help me never to lose sight of the goodness You have given me by faith.  Keep my eyes looking to You always.

Lord Jesus, You have come into this world with the invitation that as many as believe would not perish but have everlasting life.  Guide me, O Lord, in the way of truth in order that I would look forward in love to the crown of righteousness which You will give to all who love the Father.  Guide me in this upward way today and every day so that I might live into this life You are giving me.  Be with me now and always beloved Lord.  Amen.   

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Can you say what Paul said?  The goal of your faith should be to be able to say the same thing.  We must fight against the forces of wickedness in this world.  We must continue running to win the prize.  We must keep the faith.  These are not poetic words only, but the truth of how we are to life this life of faith that we have been given.  Come then and live into the promised life which is yours in Christ.

Lord, You know where I struggle and stop fighting, stop walking, and stop living by faith.  Grant that I would have the fortitude to hold fast and strengthen what faith remains.  Grant that I would look to You and see that my faith is in You and that You will lift it up in me so that I may hold fast and continue the fight and run the race.  Keep my eyes upon You, O Lord, in order that I would remain faithful.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to press forward in this crazy rebellious world.  Hold me fast to You so that I would not seek what I think is right, but follow You always, the One who is Right.  You are the Truth.  In You alone is the good way of life.  Guide me now and always, Lord Jesus, to seek You and be strengthened for the battle of the day.  Your Word is a light to my path and a lamp to my feet.  Let them ever keep on the path and press on in running the race.  Amen.