Near the end of his life Paul was imprisoned in Rome for preaching the Gospel. From that prison, knowing that he would soon be killed for his allegiance to Christ, Paul wrote a letter to his friend and son in the faith, Timothy. As Paul writes this uniquely personal letter he is aware of his impending death, but that’s not his focus. His focus is on encouraging Timothy to remain faithful. He writes to call on Timothy to press on and to keep doing the work in spite of the difficulties. He tells his friend and partner in the Gospel not to be ashamed of the testimony about the Lord, to guard the good deposit that has been entrusted to him, and to be a worker who has no need to be ashamed. He calls on him to guard the Gospel, to suffer for the Gospel to continue in the Gospel and to preach the Gospel. While this is a letter from Paul to Timothy, it is also an important letter for us. As God’s people we need to remember that we are called to faithfulness. As much as ever the Gospel needs to be guarded, preserved, proclaimed and passed on. We have a call to stand in the Gospel and for the Gospel and to be faithful to share this message of salvation with every person, no matter what difficulties may come. 2 Timothy is a good help for us as we consider our calling both individually and as a church, and what it means to be faithful.