1 Timothy 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
By Paul saying, "Timothy my true son in the faith", we see the relationship between Timothy and Paul is very close. This close relationship is seen in a couple of different ways. First, Timothy is led to the Lord by Paul. Paul meets Timothy while he is preaching the gospel in Lystra. Timothy's mother is a Jew and father is a Greek. From his childhood, Timothy has been influenced by his mother and has a desire for God. When Paul preaches the gospel to him, he opens his heart to God and commits himself to follow God.
Second, Timothy follows Paul. During Paul's evangelistic travels, Timothy is always a faithful coworker. Where Paul goes, Timothy also follows him there. Later, Paul assigns Timothy to stay in the Ephesian church. Timothy obediently accepts his assignment and understands how to co-work with other people. Therefore, Paul calls him his true son in the faith. I believe this is because of Timothy's faithfulness and obedience.
Do you know how to co-work with other people? When we serve, we often regard ourselves highly, each person has his own opinion, and no one submits to anyone. This has caused hindrance to the expansion of God's work. The first step in serving God is to begin by serving people. In the early days of seminary, as part of the first year course, the students are assigned to clean toilets and serve in the kitchen. This is because a person who doesn't know how to serve others cannot become a person who serves God.
Third, Timothy depends on God. The root word of Timothy means "timid". By his original nature, Timothy is not a courageous person. Many times Paul encourages Timothy to be strong and courageous and not be afraid. Not only is Timothy's personality not courageous, but his body is not that strong as well. This is why Paul urges him to drink some wine because his stomach is not very good. However, this person the world regards as weak becomes an instrument greatly used by God in the early church. It is because Timothy depends on God. By depending on God, we can turn from weakness to strength, from fear to peace.
When Paul writes this letter, Timothy is serving in the Ephesian church. At the time, Ephesus is the most difficult place to share the gospel. Even though Timothy is in a very difficult situation, yet he depends on God and overcomes all the attacks of the enemy. Can we also learn from the example of Timothy in his faithfulness, obedience, and dependence on God?
Pray with Pastor Tong
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