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Happy Monday, {{first_name | everyone}}!
I (Payton) am about three chapters into writing a novel about a coward. I didn’t expect the research for the book and our verse this week to hit this close to home, but here we are.
Let’s dive in!
In today’s email…
⛓️ A dying man’s last letter
😨 The specific thing you’re avoiding right now
🎵 A song built around the exact phrase this verse is fighting for…
MEMORIZE 🧠
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
Want to memorize in your favorite translation? Try our new iPhone app here.
CONTEXT 📕
By the time Paul wrote 2 Timothy, he was in chains and nearing the end of his life. He knew his death was close, and this letter carries the weight of a final charge.
An image from Bible Project’s video on 2 Timothy
Some had deserted him, others had gone elsewhere, and only Luke was with him at that moment.
So Paul wrote to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, whom he had previously instructed to remain in Ephesus.
From Paul’s exhortations, Timothy appears to have been young and at least susceptible to fear or timidity, which is why Paul repeatedly urged courage, endurance, and steadfastness.
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
In reference to Timothy, Paul had already told the Corinthians, “see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you” (1 Corinthians 16:10).
And so as we dive into 2 Timothy this week, here’s the backdrop to keep in mind.
This is the letter of an apostle nearing death, entrusting gospel ministry to a younger coworker who needed strength for the task.
That is why 2 Timothy 1:7 matters so much.
If you have ever felt inadequate for what God has called you to do, this letter speaks with particular force.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
Paul didn’t ask Timothy to feel brave first. He asked him to fan the gift back into flame, starting now.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
I keep a mental list of things I'm "still praying about" that in reality, I'm avoiding out of fear. Right now that list has a half-finished novel sitting at chapter three, a newsletter issue I've been "polishing" since June, and a week long Sabbath I don’t feel spiritually prepared for.
What about you?
📖 Read all of 2 Timothy 1. Then take the smallest possible next step on your thing today.
🙏 Pray
Father, thank you for not leaving me with a spirit of fear. I don’t want to manage my fear, I want to trade it. Fill the space it’s taking up with power, love, and a mind that isn’t spinning. Make that true in me this week. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
Pay-it-forward subscribers, enjoy the song we created below to help you memorize the verse of the week!
SCRIPTURE MEMORY SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
Pay-it-forward subscribers, enjoy the song we created below to help you memorize the verse of the week!
It looks like you don’t currently pay-it-forward. If you’d like to, you can do that here.
FREE SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
This week’s song was built around the exact phrase this verse is fighting for.
The whole song is a declaration over fear: whatever you’re facing, it doesn’t get to write your story. Let it play while you make breakfast, drive to work, or lie awake at 2 AM running worst-case scenarios. Let it be the soundtrack for the week.
ANSWER KEY ✅
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
See you in your inbox tomorrow!
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Payton is a husband and father in Vero Beach, FL. He serves as the Email Marketing Manager at Faith Driven Entrepreneur and helps Christians master storytelling through his newsletter, Christian Story Lab.
Kieran is a husband and father of 4 living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
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What are the differences between Within and Malachi Daily?
Malachi Daily 📧 | Within 📱 | |
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Bible translation(s) | ESV | ESV, NIV, NLT, KJV, and NASB |
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