“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
One can make such an affirmation of faith as we find in this passage any time, but it seems especially appropriate for us to consider at the beginning of a new year. Perilous times evidently exist as Paul pens these words of concern and encouragement to this young preacher.
An aging apostle and a prisoner of Rome, Paul wants Timothy not to be distressed by the situation in which Paul finds himself nor about the persecution that continues to be executed against followers of Jesus.
Paul is not ashamed of his imprisonment, and his faith has not wavered: he has a firm conviction about Jesus and His Cause. With complete trust, Paul knows Jesus will sustain him, even until that final day.
Admonition for this new year is that we have the same kind of conviction Paul expresses: Our faith is firmly planted in our Savior Jesus Christ. Regardless of the turbulent and uncertain circumstances that surround us, we can focus on Him and know that He will be with us until that Day.