Did you forget?

             I was visiting with an older lady who shared about her brother-in-law’s experience in World War 2. He was among the brave men that invaded Normandy to bring Hitler’s oppressive regime to an end. Along with other allied soldiers he marched from town to town liberating civilians and searching homes for axis troops. In one home, a Nazi soldier leapt from a loft bringing a knife down toward this man. The knife ripped through his shirt but never penetrated the skin. That was his only incident all the way to Berlin.

            In his eighties, he developed health issues and visited the doctor. After the examination, the doctor asked about his physical activity and discovered the man was rather sedentary. As a result, the doctor said, “If you want to improve your health, you are going to need to get out and walk more.”

            The man replied, “I walked from Normandy to Berlin. If I don’t want to walk anymore, I don’t have to!”

            In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he’s thinking about the day when he won’t have to “walk” anymore because his work on this earth will be done. Until that day, however, he has to keep walking. And he writes this letter to exhort and equip Timothy to do the same. But when you get to chapter 2 verse 8, Paul says something to which we might reply, “Well, Duh!” He exhorts Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ.”

            Keep in mind that Paul is a seasoned apostle. He has started numerous churches, experienced significant trials such as shipwrecks, beatings, and imprisonments, and He has seen and performed miracles. Paul has also confronted false teachers, trained ministers like Timothy, and experienced Divine visions. Yet, he gives this seemingly obvious command to "Remember Jesus Christ."

    Timothy himself, though younger than Paul, was no ignorant believer. Timothy, by this time, had some significant ministry experience under his belt. He had worked in churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Ephesus, and even the conflicted church at Corinth. The young man had been trained in scripture from his childhood under the godly influence of his mother and grandmother. And for a number of years had been further trained by Paul himself.

            So here you have this seasoned Christian leader advising another Christian leader with this no-brainer exhortation, “Remember Jesus Christ." The message they are preaching is the gospel of Jesus Christ! How could they forget Jesus?

            Paul doesn’t think that Timothy will forget who Jesus is and no longer preach the gospel. But he does know that life (and ministry) can push Jesus to the back. We can get so caught up in ministry, children's activities, hobbies, or just plain life that we forget the person of Jesus. Jesus Christ who died, rose again, and is seated now at the right hand of God. He's alive and the One we claim to follow as Christians. All of our activity is meaningless if we forget Jesus.

            That World War 2 vet could keep marching across Europe to Berlin because he knew for whom he was marching. He was marching for his country for sure, but ultimately, he was marching for his family and friends. He understood the implications of his mission for the people he cared about. And because of that he kept marching.

            If we forget Jesus, we will burnout. Paul knew that and warned Timothy. Paul himself set his eyes on Christ and didn’t look back. And that same three word exhortation is vital to us today: Remember Jesus Christ! Don’t let anything pull you away from Jesus. 

    Take some time today and read that whole passage in 2 Timothy 2:1-13 and Remember Jesus Christ!