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The heart of Paul #1 – Perseverance

2 Timothy is probably the last letter Paul wrote and in it we see a man at the end of his life and his life’s work. The end of the letter is very personal with many personal references.

Introductory question

What images of retirement do we see most commonly in ads? How do they relate to what many people want for the end part of their lives?

In 2 Timothy we see the end part of Paul’s life.

Read 2 Timothy 4: 1- 18.

You might like to make a chart of the hard things and the positive things – two columns.

1.      From these verses what was happening for Paul that made this a very difficult time for him? Try and pick out all the difficult things.

2.      Imagine what it was like for Paul – what impact do you think these things would have? It would be good to focus on each of them in turn.

3.      On the positive side, what indications do we have that Paul is not filled with despair?

4.      Why do you think Paul can respond to life without despair?

5.      Consider the negatives – what do you think you would find hardest?

Consider the positives – what do you think you would find most encouraging?

In many ways this final chapter of 2 Timothy is about a man who has been learning throughout his life to be content – in all circumstances.

Read Philippians 4: 10-13

1.      What are the circumstances that Paul has learned contentment in?

2.      Learning contentment is obviously a huge learning curve – how does v13 relate to how we learn contentment?

3.      What do you feel you have learnt and are learning about how to be content? Are there areas of your life where contentment is particularly hard for you to learn? Does what we see of Paul in 2 Tim. 4 help you in any way to persevere when the learning curve seems particularly steep?

» Go to Study 2

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