:13,14
Paul makes his charge to Timothy as serious as he can. There are times in life, especially when in leadership, when we face a challenge. There will be decisions that need to be made, courses of action that need to be continued, that face opposition, sometimes fierce opposition that involves threat or actual harm to ourselves. In those times we need to be fully aware of the real circumstances. First, we stand before God, the one who gives life to all things. We should certainly pay more attention to Him than to anyone or anything else. Then Jesus is cited as an example. He stood before Pilate, representing the Roman Empire, and continued to act faithfully. So we should always act in a faithful and godly manner, knowing that one day Jesus will return and all of us will stand before Him. Remaining faithful to Christ makes perfect sense, but we need to be prepared in our minds (1 Peter 1:13) so that we do not allow the heat of the moment to divert us from the right path.
6:15,16
Paul continues to expand upon the situation. It is God who decides when Christ will return, He is the One in control. God is the only Ruler, not anyone else seeking to make a name for themselves, or to exert some power. He alone is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. Note how titles that are elsewhere applied to Christ are applied to God. God is exalted way above everything else. No one or nothing else can compare with Him at all. We should have one overriding concern in life, and that is to faithfully serve the Lord.
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