Do You Know the Secret to Paul’s Unshakeable Confidence in Hard Times?
2 Timothy 1:12
“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 Timothy1:12 (NIV)
Think about Paul’s words. Paul didn’t say, “…I know what I have believed…” He said, “…I know whom I have believed…”
Paul’s faith wasn’t based on someone’s profession of faith or on a church, but on someone he personally knew — Jesus. Because he knew Jesus, he could be at ease with his soul, knowing there was nothing that could shake it.
There have been occasions where I asked people a simple question: “Are you a Christian?” Most of the time, I get answers like, “I think so” or “I hope so.” I have a strong impression that most of these people believe in “what” instead of “whom”.
When I am at work, I often ask team members if their project is on track and if the deliverables are meeting expectations. I sometimes get the same answers: “I think so” or “I hope so.” My immediate response is, “Why don’t you know so?”
The similarity here is “How deeply is someone involved?” Is their focus on the process, structure, stories, and outcome (the “what”), or are they aligned…
