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Paul is writing to Timothy from prison, a "malefactor" in the eyes of Roman law. But Paul can still speak of the Lord’s faithfulness to him and encourages Timothy to remain faithful as well. He is also encouraging Timothy to prepare others to carry on the mission of spreading the Gospel. In speaking about the faithfulness of God, he also promises that even when we are not faithful, Christ Jesus will not abandon us. We have a couple of things to think about in this passage. The first is obvious: do we remain faithful in times of crisis or tragedy in our lives? Paul knew he would probably be killed for his work, and he was correct. Yet he did not abandon his faith, but rather, encouraged others to stay the course when things got bad. The second is directed at who will spread the good news once we are gone. Are we encouraging our youth to serve God as missionaries, ministers, deacons, teachers of the faith?There’s a passage in Isaiah that talks about the joy that comes from hearing the good news, but this passage also poses the question of how can people hear if there is no one to tell them. Today, we are on the front line of bringing the message of salvation, we are also on the front line of making sure that the next generation will also share the joy of knowing the great gift of salvation won for us by Christ.Faithful God, be with me as I face the challenges of life. May I never deny you, or be faithless, but rather let all me be a witness to your abiding love and faithfulness. Amen.