Following Christ ought to come with a warning label: Christianity is a battleground, not a playground. For 30 years, Paul had “fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7), suffering for the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Paul’s heroics are writ large over our faith, making it easy to conclude that every believer ought to be or have been just like him—charging the gates of hell with a bucket of ice water. Not so. Some of God’s choicest saints were reluctant (like Moses), rebellious (like Jonah), and fearful (like Timothy). Despite his timidity, Timothy was called to follow God onto the battleground. To do so, the young man needed courage to stand for Christ, even if it meant suffering.

2 Timothy 1:8-12

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