2 Timothy 1:12 Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

I have sung this Scripture as the chorus of a hymn since childhood, and it has always been a comfort to me. I can’t say that I understood it very well back then, but I can say that I understand it better all the time. This attitude expressed by Paul has been a pillar of strength for believers through the ages, and will continue to be so until Christ comes again in glory. There are a number of secrets to the victorious Christian lifestyle hidden in it. In the first place, Paul is not ashamed, either of Christ or of what he, himself, has suffered because of his obedience to Christ. Jesus spoke of that directly Himself. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Too many people apologize for being Christians! Proclaiming Christ can indeed lose friends and make enemies sometimes, but when we really know Him, we understand that it’s worth it. The second secret hidden here is that Paul committed things to Christ. That is to say, he recognized that they were beyond his ability to deal with, so he submitted them to Christ and let go of them, refusing to carry them around as baggage. That’s why he could say, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) So many of us are unable to let go of the things we can’t handle, and that’s a bad place to be. He was able to do that because he knew Christ, even though he never met Him physically. He knew Him from years of daily fellowship in prayer, seeing Him act and recognizing His voice in various ways. Knowing Christ became a passion for Paul (Philippians 3:10-11), and the same thing is open to every believer today, if we will set our hearts on it and make it our priority.

I find my heart echoing Paul! I am deeply grateful for the degree to which I know Christ, and at the same time I am deeply hungry to know Him more and better. I really like the saying I’ve seen on a T-shirt: “Know Christ, know peace. No Christ, no peace.” I see so many illustrations of that truth around me, and I’ve certainly experienced it myself. Every time I find my heart in a turmoil, I know it’s an indication I need to know Christ better. I recognize that I am called and sent to help others know Christ, and that I must lead by example. The prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) So many, even of those who claim to be Christians, really don’t know the Lord whose Name they use. I need to be fully available to Him so that He may reveal Himself to them, and they may walk in the fulness of all He accomplished for them on the cross and in rising from the tomb.

Father, thank You for this reminder this morning. It is indeed glorious to walk in fellowship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit day by day, and yet I do it too little. Help me indeed know You more and better each day, so that more and more may desire and discover that same fellowship for themselves, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!