In the Offering Plate

It’s easy to imagine the authors of the Bible on a mountaintop with an amazing view, or near the ocean with the waves pounding against the shore. But the Apostle Paul was in none of these places when he penned the letter we know as 2 TIMOTHY. Instead, he was in a damp, dark dungeon expecting to be sentenced to death. Focus for a moment on a key word in our verse, the word “offering.” Paul said his life was being poured out and placed on the altar before God.

Wouldn’t it be terrific if we had offering places large enough that we could actually step into them! That’s basically what Paul is saying. He is the offering. He is pouring out his life’s energy, his giftedness, everything about himself, on the altar. When we can truly say that, we will one day also be able to say as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”