Remember Jesus...and rejoice

        "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.  But the Word of God is not bound!  Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Tim.2:8-10)
        Paul wrote these words in 2 Timothy when he imprisoned for the final in the Mamertine Prison in Rome.  These would be his last words, written in the final days of his life shortly before his execution in Rome.  As I wrote about the other day, visiting this tiny, dark, damp place was something our girls and I would not forget.

        The picture does not even begin to do it justice.  The cell is minuscule and was cool even on a sweltering August day, so think how miserably frigid it would have been in wintertime.  Because the room was originally constructed to be a water cistern, it would have been damp and wet most of the year.  Moreover, the cell would have been unimaginably dark without our modern day artificial lighting.  In the days of Peter and Paul, access to the cell would have been through a hole in the ceiling that opens to another level, and prisoners were typically thrown or lowered into the cell through that hole.
        You put all that together, along with the filth, the smells, the lack of any fresh air or sunlight, and you have a place of hopelessness, degradation, and misery.
        And in that place of despair and wretchedness, Paul wrote the words of 2 Timothy.  Words that begin his letter like "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.  I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers day and night." (2 Tim.1:1-3)
       Really, Paul?  Amazing--Paul recognizes that he is an apostle and, therefore, is where is, "by the will of God."  And the one who who should be despondent over his wretched condition is praying for other people day and night (so much for being self-focused) and is thanking God for the privilege of serving Him, even in a terrible place such as this.  Not to mention, Paul knows that any day now he will be executed for his faithfulness to his Savior.    
       So, how ya doing?
       Yes, I know life can be hard, and we all will suffer, but look at Paul and be encouraged.  As far as I know, none of us has had to languish in tiny, dark, wet cell--neglected and alone, awaiting our execution.  Sort of puts our trials and difficulties in perspective, doesn't it?
       The past couple of days, I've been sick with a virus that has left me feeling pretty miserable--sore throat, fever, aches and headaches, exhaustion.  But then I think of Peter and Paul in that prison, and it changes my perspective.  If Paul could be grateful in a place like that, then surely we can as well no matter how hard and dark our current circumstances.
       And do you know one of the secrets to such contentment and even joy in the midst of hardship?  I think Paul says it so succinctly and clearly in 2 Tim.2:8--"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead."  When we remember  our Savior, remember His sinlessness and His sufferings on our behalf...remember His faithfulness all the way to the cross...remember His defeat of sin and death and rising from the grave...remember His resurrection glory...then how can we not be encouraged in the midst of whatever we are enduring?
       That's the key--remember Jesus!  Remember His resurrection.  Remember His grace.  Remember His power.  Remember the unconquerable hope we have in Christ.  Remember and be encouraged to endure for the joy set before you and the Savior who will never ever leave you.
       No matter what we might be dealing with today, like Paul, let's remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead...and rejoice.  To God be the glory.