Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is 1 Timothy 3-6:10.
Good stuff in today's reading - some instructions for the leaders of the church, many of which seem self-explanatory but are still good reminders of the example that those in authority must set for those around them. Bob Deffinbaugh, in Believing and Behaving in the Household of God had this to say about the book of 1 Timothy:
Many books are available in the bookstore that deal with the subject of the church, but 1 Timothy contains God’s divinely inspired, inerrant, infallible instructions regarding the church. Seldom does one find contemporary works on the church dealing with the subject matter that we find in 1 or 2 Timothy. This is a vitally important book, one which we should hear and heed. Let us listen well, then, and ask God’s Spirit to enable us to think our way through the message of this great letter from the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son, and thus to the church at Ephesus.
He provides a summary of what can be learned from each chapter of the entire book. I'll take a couple of excerpts from what he has to say about today's chapters. Chapter 3 deals with the qualifications for those who are leaders in the church. Chapter 4 verse 12 stood out to me. It says:
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Timothy (and all other youthful saints) should exercise discipline over their youthful desires and inclinations. This sounds foreign in our culture, where youth feels compelled to experience every pleasure and indulgence. Discipline is necessary for godliness in matters of speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity. Discipline needs to be exercised in ministry.
Paul was speaking directly to Timothy as his ambassador to the church in Ephesus, but I think there is a really important truth for the rest of us in this verse. We often hear and see these days that young people "should" be out enjoying themselves, sowing their wild oats, etc. Don't get married too young; don't have children too young. Be free. Don't tie yourself down too soon. Certainly young people should reach a certain level of maturity before marrying and having children and so on, but I think often people use experience and maturity interchangeably, not recognizing that some people have all kinds of experiences without attaining maturity, and others are mature in their attitudes and behaviour at a young age without having indulged their youthful desires and inclinations.
Chapter 5 is about showing honour where honour is due - caring for the widows and elders of the church and so on.
Chapter 6 verses 7 & 8 jumped out at me immediately. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Paul closes his letter to Timothy by focusing on a proper Christian perspective of prosperity. The false teachers believed that godliness was the means to making a profit. Paul differs from this twisted view of ministry and godliness. Paul does grant that godliness is “profitable” when prosperity is rightly understood (6:6). Godliness that is combined with contentment is very profitable, even if not in a monetary way. Since we didn’t bring material prosperity with us at our birth, and we can’t take it with us when we die, we should not be obsessed with it. We should be content when our daily needs are met (see Philippians 4:10-13).
Paul wants to be very clear on this matter of prosperity. Godliness does not guarantee material wealth, but neither is it sinful to possess material wealth. It is not being rich that is evil, but being obsessed with a desire to accumulate wealth. This is a sin that can be committed by the poor, if they are obsessed with becoming rich. Those who desperately desire to be rich may succumb to temptations to cut corners in order to get there. So then, it is the love of money which Paul condemns, and not the mere possession of wealth:
For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains (1 Timothy 6:10). (emphasis mine)
I've talked before about being somewhat nervous about starting a home daycare as the income is inconsistent, especially considering that all of the children I currently care for are here part time, not full time. However, I need to remember that the Lord's prayer says "Give us this day our daily bread" - not bread enough for the week, or for the month, or assurance of bread for the entire year, but daily bread. And guess what? We've had enough for everything we've needed and then some for the almost six months I've been doing this, for which I am very thankful. There are times when I think "Man, things would be easier if we just had more money," but I don't really think that's true. I think no matter how much we have, there will be problems and concerns - the issues may just be somewhat different. So I've decided that since we can pay our bills, buy groceries, take the occasional weekend at a hotel or something as a family, and buy some "extras" from time to time (even if they are pre-owned), I'm happy.
Tomorrow's passage: 1 Timothy 6:11-21; Titus 1-3:15; 2 Timothy 1.
2 comments:
Great post Miriam.
I love the verse concerning young people. I hate it when people talk like it's inevitable that they're children will turn into wild crazy teenagers and that they'll have a horrible relationship.
Yes, those years can be turbulent. But our expectations of our children greatly influence how they turn out. If we expect them to rebel, chances are they will! If we expect them to rise to the occasion and be kids that want to make a difference - chances are they will!
Great observations, Miriam!
I'm totally with you on your comments about experience vs. maturity. I also think we, as a society, seem to be expecting less and less of our teenagers and young adults and so they're fitting the bill quite nicely. I hope I can teach an appropriate amount of responsibility to my girls without it feeling like an overwhelming burden, but I really want them to realize they don't have to reach a certain age (which seems to be getting older and older all the time) before they start acting responsibly and with integrity.
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