II Tim 2--Grace, Hardship, Denial

Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus.
Grace...I like what someone once said that grace is giving you what you DON"T deserve and mercy is NOT giving you what you DO deserve. Through Jesus we have been given an awesome gift! Not only are we not condemned to the hell we so justly deserve, but through grace He has given us eternal life as heirs and sons and daughters of His inheritance. Oh wretch that I am! I am so undeserving of His rich love towards me. But He has called me His child and I am so grateful. Help me to live in such a way that I would reflect the mercy and grace you have bestowed upon me.

You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus. Don't get tangled in the affairs of this life.

Hardship doesn't seem like an option here. And yet we are continually bombarded with the message that if we "accept" Jesus, then our lives will be better. And indeed they will be for we will be saved from the wrath to come. But I think as American Christians and because of the prevalence of the prosperity gospel, we somehow equate knowing Jesus with having more stuff, less strife and happy days. This is the exact opposite of taking up our cross, denying ourselves and laying down our lives others, and dying to ourselves.

If we deny Him, he will deny us.
This is a final denial at death. Peter denied Christ 3 times, but this was a temporary denial. After being filled with the Spirit, he was used mightily by God and died for the sake of the gospel. IN the end, he glorified Jesus and did not deny Jesus, but fed His sheep.