The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 4:15-16,
"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."
The matters Paul brought to Timothy, those that Timothy were to be diligent about, were the instructions he gave him regarding the life Timothy lived, particularly within the context of the fellowship, and the doctrine he was to hold to and teach to others. Timothy was to "give yourself wholly to them". The importance of this lay in the outcome Paul looked for: that Timothy might "save both yourself and your hearers."
By extension, it is my belief the instructions Paul provided Timothy, while addressing specific immediate matters in Timothy's sphere, are instructions for us as well. I believe God's superintendence of the Scriptures, preserving Paul's letters to Timothy go beyond an historical look at isolated events of the day. These directions are intended for us as well. Not that we are all "Timothys" or that we live in the same circumstances Timothy did, but much of what Paul provided Timothy does apply to us in our day. We have false teaching afoot these days. We have folks that are uneducated about the purpose of law. We have leaders in churches that do not belong in such positions, we have need for instruction on apostolic directed worship. We have need of the very practical advice for life in the fellowship Paul provided Timothy in this letter.
It is a sobering thing to consider the outcome of what Paul anticipated from his instructions for Timothy: "you will save both yourself and your hearers." We know that we cannot save one another and we cannot save ourselves. As Paul reminds Timothy in his salutation, it is God who is our Savior. It is God who chose for himself all those who would embrace him in faith. It was God who sent his Son as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. Nonetheless, salvation is only come by responding to the true gospel in true faith. As Timothy held to his confession of faith and as he proclaimed the gospel and facilitated its propagation by the life he lived, he would have impact with these choices, not just for his own life, but for the lives of those he might have contact with.
Just like Timothy, what we do, what we subscribe to, what we think and believe, impacts not just our lives, but also the lives of those around us. This is what Timothy was to give himself to and this is what we are to give ourselves to. It is an amazing purpose that God has given us and it is an amazing delegation of responsibility God has entrusted to us as we continue the propagation of the kingdom of God on this earth handed down to us from Paul, Timothy and all the others who have gone before us.
May we all say with Paul, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service." 1 Timothy 1:12.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."
The matters Paul brought to Timothy, those that Timothy were to be diligent about, were the instructions he gave him regarding the life Timothy lived, particularly within the context of the fellowship, and the doctrine he was to hold to and teach to others. Timothy was to "give yourself wholly to them". The importance of this lay in the outcome Paul looked for: that Timothy might "save both yourself and your hearers."
By extension, it is my belief the instructions Paul provided Timothy, while addressing specific immediate matters in Timothy's sphere, are instructions for us as well. I believe God's superintendence of the Scriptures, preserving Paul's letters to Timothy go beyond an historical look at isolated events of the day. These directions are intended for us as well. Not that we are all "Timothys" or that we live in the same circumstances Timothy did, but much of what Paul provided Timothy does apply to us in our day. We have false teaching afoot these days. We have folks that are uneducated about the purpose of law. We have leaders in churches that do not belong in such positions, we have need for instruction on apostolic directed worship. We have need of the very practical advice for life in the fellowship Paul provided Timothy in this letter.
It is a sobering thing to consider the outcome of what Paul anticipated from his instructions for Timothy: "you will save both yourself and your hearers." We know that we cannot save one another and we cannot save ourselves. As Paul reminds Timothy in his salutation, it is God who is our Savior. It is God who chose for himself all those who would embrace him in faith. It was God who sent his Son as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. Nonetheless, salvation is only come by responding to the true gospel in true faith. As Timothy held to his confession of faith and as he proclaimed the gospel and facilitated its propagation by the life he lived, he would have impact with these choices, not just for his own life, but for the lives of those he might have contact with.
Just like Timothy, what we do, what we subscribe to, what we think and believe, impacts not just our lives, but also the lives of those around us. This is what Timothy was to give himself to and this is what we are to give ourselves to. It is an amazing purpose that God has given us and it is an amazing delegation of responsibility God has entrusted to us as we continue the propagation of the kingdom of God on this earth handed down to us from Paul, Timothy and all the others who have gone before us.
May we all say with Paul, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service." 1 Timothy 1:12.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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