Power, Love And Sound Mind

2 Timothy 1:7
7"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

I love this verse! It is such a powerful, comforting promise from our loving heavenly Father. Whenever fear, worry, cares or concerns creep in, I like to mutter it under my breath. It reminds me Who's resale in charge and Who's got everything under control.

The only thing is, every time I would call it to mind, I'd forget which word came first. Then, it hit me: God gave us the power of trinity in this verse. 

So, after a little word study, it has now taken on a whole new meaning. Now I will ALWAYS remember it!

Illuminating Greek.

The word in Greek for fear is in this verse is "deíllas," which means "timidity, reticence, cowardice."  That's the devil right there. Those things certainly aren't meant to be our heritage.

The Father.
The word for power, "dynaméōs," is derived from "dunamís: [miraculous] power, might, strength."
This is the same word used to described Jesus at the end of Matthew's gospel, sitting at the "right hand of power."  And Who is at His left hand?  The Father!  "Dynaméōs" is the Father. 

The Son.

The word for love in this verse is "Agapéō," which means "benevolence, good will, esteem," derived from "agapé," which means "sacrificial love."  That's Jesus, Who gave His life for us!

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this; that He lay down His life for His friends."

The Holy Spirit.

And finally, we come to this word: "sōphronísmoū." It means self-control, self-discipline, prudence.  Those are some of the gifts of the Spirit.  It is describing our inner teacher, the Holy Spirit.

So there you have it, Church.  Wonderful provision from our loving heavenly Father Who gave us everything we need in the gifts of power, love and a sound mind.