The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 5:24-25,
"The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever."
"The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever."
Here is an interesting observation by Paul to Timothy. In this letter Paul has laid quite a bit of responsibility on Timothy and the judgments he needed to make within the fellowship. Who should be considered for leadership roles based on their lifestyle choices, who should and should not be taken care of by the fellowship, how to rebuke others when needed, particularly elders who are caught in sin. Timothy was given some weighty responsibility, and it all rested on Timothy's judgments.
It appears to me that realizing all he is asking of Timothy may lead him into an anxiety over possibly erring in judgment at times, Paul provides some comfort for him here. Anticipating Timothy is thinking about the potential of making mistakes, that if he fails to recognize that which lies deep within the hearts of members of the fellowship and maybe not easily recognized or observed, there is still the certainty that all things will be made right in the end. Timothy was not alone and could take comfort in the reality that all things work out eventually and have their proper fulfillment in due time.
Some people's sins are easily seen for Timothy to act on, they "reach the place of judgment ahead of them", ahead of time, ahead of eternal judgment. However, those sins that are not easily seen trail behind what takes place within Timothy's judgments. They may not face repercussions for them during Timothy's involvement with them, but eventually, it will catch up to them during the Lord's judgement of all, at the end of the age.
Paul also tells Timothy, that on the other hand, if he, at times, fails to recognize "good deeds", they will not go unnoticed by the end of the age. That recognition, although possibly missed in the presence of Timothy, would certainly be recognized at some point, and with Paul's view of things, certainly by the end of the age.
Paul's observation to Timothy reminds me that, although there may be difficult things required of us at times, we are never alone. The Lord will ensure all things work out to their proper conclusion.
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 reply and let me know.
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 reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment