As Paul writes these opening words of this final letter to the young pastor Timothy, he is not writing as a failure, in defeat, or even depressed by his circumstances. Paul writes with expectation and authority, knowing that his life is not his own and the kingdom of God is not dependent on his circumstances.

This is not an effort to put a positive spin on a bad situation. This is Paul writing and living according to God's perspective, not man's. To live faithfully and obediently to the Lord, you must live according to God's perspective, not man's.

During the summer months, there are several Sundays when I am out of the pulpit. I will return to preaching through 2 Corinthians when I return to the pulpit, but for these weeks where I have been away, I will be posting sermons from the book of James I preached in 2020. As an interesting historical note, considering that James begins the letter with the instruction to "consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance," while preaching this series, I was hospitalized with COVID-19. I began the series in August. Our church had returned to in-person services a few months before, in May, and we were trying to define a new normal while responding to the pandemic. When I began this series and preached this message, I had no idea that ten weeks later, I would be in a hospital bed, too weak to carry on a conversation longer than a few words.