Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God in-relation-to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, ² to Timothy, beloved child: Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I Give Thanks For Your Sincere Faith, And Remind You To Rekindle The Gift of God In You

³ I have gratitude to God, Whom I have served^[a] from my ancestors^[b] with a clean conscience, as I have unceasing remembrance concerning you in my prayers by night and by day— ⁴ yearning to see you, having remembered your tears, in order that I may be filled with joy; ⁵ having received a reminder of the sincere faith in you which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And I am convinced that it is also in you, ⁶ for which reason I am reminding you to be rekindling^[c] the gift of God which is in you through the laying-on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness^[d], but of power and love and a sound-mind^[e].

Suffer Hardship With Me For The Gospel. Hold The Teachings In Faith And Love

⁸ Therefore, do not be^[f] ashamed-of the testimony of our Lord nor me His prisoner, but suffer-hardship-with me for the good-news according-to^[g] the power of God: ⁹ the One having saved us and called us with^[h] a holy calling, not according-to our works but according to His own purpose and grace— it having been given to us in Christ Jesus before eternal times ¹⁰ but now having been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, He having abolished^[i] death and brought-to-light life and immortality through the good-news ¹¹ for which I was appointed a proclaimer and apostle and teacher, ¹² for which reason I also am suffering these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know in Whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard my deposit until that day. ¹³ Be holding the pattern of healthy words which you heard from me in^[j] the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

The Apostles Ask For More Faith. The Smallest Amount Is Enough

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase faith for us”. ⁶ And the Lord said, “If you have faith like a seed^[a] of a mustard-plant, you would say to this mulberry-tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’, and it would have obeyed you. ⁷ And who from-among you is there who, having a slave plowing or shepherding, will say to him having come in from the field, ‘Immediately having come-to the table, fall back [to eat]!’? ⁸ But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something I may have-for-dinner. And having girded-yourself, be serving me until I eat and drink. And after these things, you will eat and drink’? ⁹ He does not have gratitude^[b] for the slave because he did the things having been commanded, does he? ¹⁰ So also you, when you do all the things having been commanded to you, be saying that ‘We are unprofitable^[c] slaves. We have done what we were obligated to do’”.