“Serving In A Company of Saints”

If I had to make a list of the “top five toughest cookies in the Bible”, I would certainly include St. Paul. Paul seemed to have had an answer for every situation; he never seemed to be at a loss. Even when he was experiencing great trials, he seemed to be on top of his game. Paul was fierce. 

Yet in today’s reading from his letter to his dear disciple Timothy, we see another side of Paul. He was having a tough time, and he let Timothy know that he was a bit down in the dumps. (ref. 2Timothy 4:10-17) He wrote:

• How his companions deserted him (only Luke remained) 
• That at his defense, no one appeared on his behalf.
• That Alexander the coppersmith did him great harm and was a real enemy of the church … and to watch out for him. 
• that despite all this, Paul still spoke with compassion for his enemies.
• But that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength to proclaim the gospel. 
• He also included some housekeeping items… i.e. bring the cloak I left, and the parchment and papyrus rolls. 

This letter is a great encouragement to persevere. Even though things were not easy for Paul, he kept fighting. He kept doing what he had told others to do. He didn’t quit…. he still proclaimed the gospel and the Lord stood by him.

Somehow Paul seems a little more approachable after reading this letter to Timothy. He’s not John Wayne who plows through his enemies and always has a smirk on his face and a kiss for the girls. Paul was a man of God who did not quit in serving the Lord, despite the obstacles.  

I was speaking to a good friend today who is in the midst of a fierce battle in caring for his desperately sick wife. It seems every day brings another obstacle, yet he continues to live out the marriage vows he spoke more than 55 years ago…..  “I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”  Like Paul, my friend John is another tough cookie. In the midst of great trials he is standing in the power of the Holy Spirit to govern guide, and protect his dear wife. 

There’s a quote from Major Dick Winters, the WWII hero immortalized in the book “Band of Brothers. When asked if he was a hero in the war, he responded , “No, but I served in a company of heroes.” The heroes of the church are called saints, and the church has been filled with saints, from the time of St. Paul and the early church up to our present day.  

I’m blessed to have known (and to know) many wonderful men and women who have weathered great storms in assisting their spouses as they journeyed those last miles to heaven. They are all tough cookies in fighting the good fight of faith, not quitting when times were difficult. They are disciples of the Lord, and in my book they are saints. It’s a privilege to walk along side of them.