Pep Talk
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
Insight
I am a sucker for a movie with a really good pep talk, the kind of movie with an underdog theme.
Like the sports movie where the coach rallies the team and sends them off for the game of glory. “How you play today, from this moment on, is how you will be remembered. This is your opportunity to rise from these ashes and grab glory. We are… Marshall.” (We are Marshall)
Or the action movie where the leader unifies the troops to go into battle. “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” (Braveheart)
And the movie where someone encourages greatness into another. “Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you’ll never go wrong.” (The Sandlot)
Then there’s the movie where a parent leans in, holds their child’s face, and sends them off to tackle an obstacle. “You have more power than you realize. Don’t think, and don't worry. You’ll know what to do. It’s in your blood.” (The Incredibles)
The common theme to every one of these pep talks is, “You can do this because of what is inside of you.”
When I read 2 Timothy, it reads like a good pep talk. Paul was writing to Timothy to encourage him to “fan into flame” what was inside of him. What happens when you fan a flame? It grows. It begins to consume. It gets harder to extinguish. Paul was telling Timothy there was a flame inside of him, ignited, so take it to the next level.
Isn’t this what every good pep talk aims to do? To encourage us to take that flame, that strength inside of us, whatever ability or talent we may have, and to leave it all out on the field. It also calls us to remember where we come from and to remember the why.
The stakes for Timothy were high. He was the underdog in a town full of people who were not seeking Jesus. The leaders hated him. It wasn’t just the final game of the season; it was his life and others’ salvation on the line. Paul wasn’t just writing Timothy a pep talk. He was pleading for Timothy to finish what he started.
What Timothy had inside him wasn’t talent, grit, or human strength to be victorious. According to verse 6 and 7 of 2 Timothy, the flame within him was the gift of God. It was the same Spirit God gave us, the Holy Spirit. Paul told Timothy that the flame within him did not make him timid, but gave him power, love, and self-discipline.
That’s what the Holy Spirit gives us too. The Spirit gives us power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It’s the power to calm storms, to conquer fear, and to live victoriously despite the struggles of this world. The spirit gives us love, a love that sent His son to earth to die so that we may live eternally with our Father. A love, that according to 1 Corinthians, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and believes all things. It gives us a love that enables us to lay down our own lives for our friends and to contend for one another. The spirit gives us discipline, the self-control to not give into temptation, to not abuse freedom, to live in the kingdom and not of the world, to order our lives around living like Jesus.
Paul wrote to Timothy from prison to encourage him to not be afraid and to use the power, love, and self-discipline from the Holy Spirit. Paul reminded Timothy that what was inside him would see him through to the finish line. Throughout the following verses (v.8-13), Paul asked Timothy to stay the course, to join him in his suffering, and to guard what had been deposited in him because he was going to need it.
How’s that for a pep talk? How would we feel if our leader was in jail for doing the thing we were also supposed to do? We would ask ourselves if it was worth it. We would wonder what would happen to us. It would take remembering where we came from, the faithfulness of God along the way, to have hope for the future.
The faith to endure can be seen in verse 12, “For I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” Paul was convinced that God would be faithful. It was all he needed to know so he could endure the battle ahead. He wanted Timothy to remember that too.
Paul, knowing the stakes, encouraged Timothy to leave it all on the field. Like William Wallace in Braveheart, I can imagine Paul saying, “They may take our lives, but they won’t take our faith. Or the like mom in The Incredibles saying, “Don’t worry, you’ll know what to do, the holy spirit inside you will guide you.” Or like Babe Ruth in The Sandlot saying, “Follow the Holy Spirit, kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”
These movies inspire us. They may move us to dig a little deeper, to have an impact, and to be remembered. The passage in 2 Timothy does the same. We can learn from Paul like Timothy. With the Holy Spirit inside of us, we have all the power, love, and self-discipline to face any battle, to overcome any obstacle, to stay the course, to endure tragedy, and to keep our faith despite our circumstances. May we remember all God has done. What is inside us is greater than anything that could come against us.
Reflection
What obstacle is overwhelming you today? How can you cling to the truth that you have the power, love and self-discipline to overcome the thing in front of you?
Paul was a great leader and mentor to Timothy. Who can you be Paul for? Who can you encourage with a spiritual pep talk?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Help me to allow Your spirit to guide and encourage me. I pray for the strength to endure. I pray that You help me remember everything You have done for me whenever my faith feels uncertain, and life is hard. Help me to be a Paul to someone in my life. Give me the words and wisdom through the Holy Spirit and Your Word. Amen.
Ashley Sarvis, Port City’s Welcome Coordinator, wrote today’s devotional.
