"Is the effort is worth it?"

I normally do not list the Expanded version of the bible in my studies, but today I will. These verses encouraged me today and I hope they encourage you as well. As we live in a world when things seem to be turning upside down and sideways . . . and not just the senseless violence we see and read about daily, but the everyday selfishness, subtle wrongdoing, backbiting, and jealousies infiltrating our daily lives . . . . we are tempted to give up and give in. If you are like me, you sometimes wonder, "Is the effort is worth it?" It is! Keep you head up and stay in prayer. Only what we do for Christ matters!

Make every effort [Do your best; Be diligent] to ·give [present] yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who ·is not ashamed [or will not be shamed] and who ·uses the true teaching in the right way [correctly handles the true message/word of truth; or holds carefully to the true message/word of truth]. Stay away from ·foolish, useless talk [godless/irreverent chatter; 1 Tim. 1:3–4; 4:7; 6:20], because that will lead people ·further away from God [into even more ungodliness]. Their evil teaching will spread like ·a sickness inside the body [gangrene]. Hymenaeus [1 Tim. 1:20] and Philetus are like that [ probably false teachers and opponents of Paul from Ephesus]. They have ·left [strayed away from] the ·true teaching [truth], saying that the ·rising from the dead [resurrection] has already taken place, and so they are ·destroying [undermining; overturning] the faith of some people. But God’s strong foundation continues to stand, ·sealed [inscribed; engraved] with these words: “The Lord knows those who belong to him [Num. 16:5],” and “Everyone who ·wants to belong to the Lord must ·stop doing wrong [ wickedness/injustice].” (2 Timothy 2:15-19)