II Timothy I

If you’d like to join me for my weekly Scripture reflection series, I’ll be using the RSVCE of the Bible. Here is the entire II Timothy I passage.

“God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.”

This quote has been the home screen of my phone for over three months now, and I appreciate its simplicity. It took me a while to comprehend the meaning of this powerful message, mostly because I grappled with the difference between timidity and shyness. When I was younger, I had a very timid nature. I hid behind a shell, never let anyone in, and lacked self-confidence. Growing up, I slowly came into having a more assertive personality. Especially in college, I started going after what I wanted, albeit not in an aggressive way; I made sure that my presence was known when it needed to be. I’m no longer timid, but I’m still shy. However, my shyness does not prevent me from embracing the spirit that God has given me. He has given all of us ‘a spirit of power and love and self-control.’ The sooner we learn this, accept this, and embrace this, the sooner we can get to restoring a society of peace.

First of all, we are told that we have a spirit of power. This should remind us that we cannot simply sit idly and watch the world’s events unfold before us, but that we can and must exert our own positive influence on those events. We are also reminded we have a spirit of love, and so all our actions should be aimed at the ultimate good of those around us. We can speak against the injustices we see while asking God to show the wrongdoers His grace, and our self-control will keep us in check and remind us that it is not our place to judge and assign the ultimate punishment to others. This is God’s responsibility, and His responsibility only. We must remember our place in the world as His servants, trust in His strength and guidance, and pray for the restoration of a faithful society once again.

“Guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.”

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Happy Monday! This quote has been the home screen of my phone for over three months now, and I appreciate its simplicity. First of all, we are told that we have a spirit of power. This should remind us that we cannot simply sit idly and watch the world’s events unfold before us, but that we can and must exert our own positive influence on those events. We are also reminded we have a spirit of love, and so all our actions should be aimed at the ultimate good of those around us. We can speak against the injustices we see while asking God to show the wrongdoers His grace, and our self-control will keep us in check and remind us that it is not our place to judge and assign the ultimate punishment to others. This is God’s responsibility, and His responsibility only. We must remember our place in the world as His servants, trust in His strength and guidance, and pray for the restoration of a faithful society once again. You can click the link in my bio to read the rest of my reflection✨

A post shared by Isabelle Vita NYC (@isabellevitanyc) on Aug 17, 2020 at 9:20am PDT