2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did,,..5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
We all have a history that is partly shaped our upbringing. I always find it refreshing in difficult times to journey back to history to glean or draw some strength from it. The Apostle is writing to his son in the faith to encourage him as he faced numerous challenges as a young pastor. He is not writing to him from a comfortable place, he is in jail near death. He himself, as a seasoned soldier, recounts in those difficult moments by:
1. Remembering the call of God that solidified his faith and a reminder that he was right in His will, even with being in prison.
2. Remembering that he journeyed in service and prayers just as his forefathers had done.
3. He also calls to mind the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother that paved a way for Timothy and him.
These 3 memories would serve as an encouragement to Timothy to persevere firmly in the faith of his father in the faith, mother and grandmother. In times like this, what can you glean from the history, the faith of parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, church leaders. The people that set the path for faith, lived it themselves and finished the race well. That if they did it, we can trust God to make it.