God keeps His promises. Not only will God not break promises. He can’t break them. He not only won’t lie. He can’t lie. In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman. (Gal. 4:4) All the promises of God find their yes in Him. (2 Cor. 1:20)

These are the final recorded words of the apostle Paul. And they drip with grace. Through them we can prepare now for the inevitable final hours of our life. It happens as we receive grace. And then live in grace for the rest of our days.

Life can be lonely. Times can be hard. Needs can be many. Friends walking through it all with us can make all the difference. 2 Timothy 4:9-15 is all about cultivating close friendships and admitting needs. While we have no greater friend than Jesus Christ, we also need one another.

One of the greatest reasons I can think of loving and following Jesus is that he is a God of grace. A God of forgivingness. In Him we truly have someone who can help us with our regrets. One who can make all things new. He, alone, has the ability to free you from the bondage of your memory and remove the stains of our sin.

There is a message to be proclaimed. It isn’t our message or our word. We don’t twist it or soften it or change it. We can’t even make anyone like it or believe it. We are given a divine charge to make a divine message known. Even if it doesn’t make people feel good. Even if it’s an offensive message to the culture. Even if you don’t think it will work in bringing change.

People who finish well do so because they live lives based on a core set of beliefs and convictions. This guides their lives. God has given us those beliefs and convictions in his word.

All of God's people want to make a big difference for God. God wants that for us too. It won't necessarily mean size, visibility, or applause. But it will mean impacting the lives of those around us as we remember the past, anticipate the future, and continue in our present.

We have been made for our times and our times are made for us. We have God's promises and power to live with discernment and decisiveness. Awareness and action.

Competence is what a person can do, and that they do it well. Character refers to who a person is, what they are like morally. In the case of Christian leadership character always is more important than competence. It's character that God is developing in his family.

God can be trusted to speak truth and keep his promises. We know this because of the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ. As diligently stay faithful to both we can stand firm against the tide of our times.