“the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and being me safely into his heavenly kingdom. to him be the glory forever and ever. amen.” [2 timothy 4:18]

what a way to finish strong!

this is it, this is the end. this is the end of Paul’s life as we know it. these are the last words that we have to remember him by. this hero of the faith, this man who has endured untold horrors and persecution for the sake of the Gospel. he single handedly traveled most of the known world, sharing and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel holding nothing back and preaching to untold thousands.

this is how he ends his living eulogy.

nothing to himself, everything to Jesus. – “to him be the glory forever and ever. amen.”

this is a man who had every right to boast in himself, every right to want to receive some sort of glory for himself. but he says “no, don’t look at me, don’t see what i’ve done, see Jesus.”

paul has consistently done this over and over throughout this book. over and over again, he’s paused and reminded us of Jesus. and even now, as he ends this letter, most likely his last letter ever, he pauses and reminds us to stop and lift our eyes up, up to Jesus.

this is my prayer for us today, as we come to the end of this incredible book and spend time in the presence of God. today, may we sit and be still and remember Jesus.

Jesus, the one who lived, who died and rose again so that we could be united with him forever.

this Jesus, the one who loved the unlovely, who cared for the broken and the hurting.

this Jesus, the king of kings is calling.

calling you and i to be still and to sit before him, in his presence and remember. remember his glory, remember his suffering, remember his pain, remember his love.

remember his perfect love, poured out on you and i, freely and without reserve.

so be still, sit in God’s presence, take time, right now. maybe it’s 10 seconds, maybe it’s an hour. but take that time, be still as you mediate on this verse and remember. remember Jesus.

may our hearts be moved to worship and praise as we sit before the King of kings who loves us unconditionally and calls us to commune with him, to spend time with him, as we too, give him the glory forever and ever. amen.

~ josiah bridges