1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian The Colours of Grace - Week 2 | Page 8

In order to answer this I would like to return to the passage in 1 Timothy 1 v19; it is
very clear that we have to very simply hold onto faith. At this particular point Paul
does not give any other suggestions. Apparently what he is saying is, “Timothy, when
your health is bad, hold onto faith. When persecution comes, hold onto faith. When
friends leave, hold onto faith. When you find yourself about to be thrown to the lions,
hold onto faith.” Paul is making the point that at extreme times of suffering, our first
temptation is to relinquish our faith. Paul, however, acknowledges that holding onto
faith is the key to weathering the storms of suffering.
Faith is a very broad term. I would like to ask now: what aspects of faith do we have
that are worth holding onto? Verse 18 of our reading today, says that we should hold
onto the promises of God. We need to believe implicitly that God does not bring you
this far just to leave you. He doesn’t teach you how to swim in order to watch you
drown. It is the promises of God that keep us moving forwa rd. Every great hero in
Scripture, whoever was used of God, understood full-well the enormity of this principle.
When God promises something, you can stake your life upon the fact that He will
never renege on His promises. The whole Bible is a great testimony to this awesome
truth. God has a perfect track record when it comes to fulfilling His promises.
The second aspect of our faith that is worth holding onto is the character of an
unchanging God. Verse 17 speaks of God’s unchanging nature when Paul refers to
the King; eternal, immortal and invisible. These attributes of God are exactly what they
say. When we hold onto the fact that God has not, will not and never will change, we
begin to find a stability that creates for us a firm foundation for our lives to be built
upon. That no matter the storms of life that may come against us, our Anchor will
surely hold as it is embedded in the very character of a God who does not change.
Based on these two things, we can develop a new perspective of trials and suffering.
Prayer Thought: As you pray today, remind yourself of some of the promises of God
and spend some time contemplating the unchanging nature of God. Spend some time
meditating on these thoughts and then take some time to reflect on all that God is and
has promised in the context of your own life suffering.

SUNDAY
Psalm 119 v 9 – 16
One last aspect, that will clinch what we spoke about yesterday, needs to be said. We
said yesterday that Paul’s instruction to Timothy, when going through extreme
suffering, was simply “hold onto faith”. We said yesterday that we hold onto the
promises of God and the character of an unchanging God. There is one other
aspect that Paul suggests is important, I will use the words of the psalmist in our
reading today to emphasise this truth. He says, in Psalm 119 v 11, “Hide God’s word
in your heart.” I am intrigued by the word “hide”. I think there are two implications
being made when he uses this word.