By Faith 1

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Sometimes as I rest on our living room couch, preparing to take a nap, I notice the sounds of our children. It used to bother me, but now I find a comfort in the sounds. It is good to know that I am not alone. I think the same is true of most other people. It is comforting to hear the sounds of other family members in the house.

In this second letter to Timothy, why should he continue in what he has learned? How long has he known the Scriptures? What is true about Scripture? How does it help “the man of God?”

Faith is not always an easy thing to come by. As a pastor I imagine most people view me as a very faithful person. But honestly, there are times when having faith is a challenge.

It is in times like these that I listen to the sound of others. It is not a physical noise that I might hear, but I find an awareness of all the other people I know or have known in my life who have been faithful.

I think on all the people in my life, people from my infancy, who have taught me faith, who have instructed me on religious teaching, who have served as an example to me. And it is a comfort to know that I am not alone. I am not the only person who holds the beliefs that I do. I am not the only person who trusts in God and in salvation through Christ.

And that can be a comfort.

It is easier then to have faith knowing that there are millions of others who share in my faith. I am not alone in the house, but I am in the company of so many others and so many who have come before, who have laid a foundation of faith over the centuries.

It is up to us to continue living this faith. We must pass this faith on to other generations, to others who will follow, to those who will have doubts but who can look to us for strength.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Who has had the biggest influence on your faith?