Do your best to come to me quickly. ( 2 Timothy 4:9)
2 Timothy is the pastoral epistle written by the apostle Paul, who is a good example of faithfulness to the Gospel. He committed himself to the cross of Christ all his life. His life concluded in 2 Tim. 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and kept the faith.” Towards the end of Paul's life, some people stood with him loyally, but some left him because of their love for the world. Although Paul was ready to die at this time, he was still concerned about the Gospel and called Timothy to come to him quickly.
"Come quickly" is also a call to us. True believers should get ready to take part in God’s work, quickly come to the ministry field, and quickly respond to the holy ministry. “Come quickly” also means putting aside your own business, committing and obeying God's call in ministry.
"Come to me quickly" also shows the spiritual leader guiding and cultivating the younger generations. Leading is not teaching or preaching only. The leader must commit and sacrifice himself. If you want to be a leader, you have to be more patient, godly, and tolerant than the person who is led. These are the signs of spiritual maturity. The leader must live out a mature spiritual life, and completely surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not just good at speaking, but his deeds have to be consistent with his words. He must keep on living out the word of God in his life.
"Come to me quickly" is a challenge and full of danger. It means to leave your comfort zone. It means the task is beyond your ability. However, if you obey this call, it will become a blessing. You will be a valuable vessel suitable for the Lord.
The reason behind Paul’s call of "come to me quickly" was that many people had left him. Among them is Demas, who loved the world and deserted Paul. He had worked with Paul in the past, but now he abandoned Paul due to hardship. “Deserted” describes Demas’ change, in contrast to “not forsaking nor leaving”. If a person does not truly set himself apart from the world, he will change as the environment changes, and his faith will be shaken. Therefore, to know the quality of a person's life is to look at his behavior when he encounters difficulties. There is a Chinese saying, “As distance tests a horse’s strength, difficulty reveals one’s true quality.” It is easy for people to sing praises and give thanks when things are smooth and successful, but in great tribulations, great difficulties, threats and persecution, some people will waver, give up, run away, and even ignore the dangers facing co-workers, and only care about themselves.
"You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 19:9) May we all serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord, quickly put down ourselves, respond to God's call, and commit ourselves to the Great Commission. Do not be complacent, continue debt to love, pursue growth in the Lord, don’t indulge yourself, rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, value eternal life, put aside ease and meet challenges.
～ Rev. Benguang Du 都本光牧師～