READING: 2 Timothy 1-4
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: The second letter from Paul to Timothy is one of my favorite books in the New Testament — primarily because it is the words of a mentor to his protégé as the mentor faces the end of his life. Paul is ready to go, and he can depart in peace because he knows the ministry will go on through Timothy and others.
What most catches my attention, though, is the pattern of Timothy’s growth evidenced in this passage:
But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. . . . You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:10-17).
First, Timothy’s foundation was the Word of God. He learned and followed the Word that showed him what to believe, reproved him when he went astray, corrected him to put him back on the right track, and showed him how to live righteously.
Second, he learned that foundation from his family. We don’t know about his father (and the silence there suggests his father was not pivotal in his spiritual upbringing), but we do know his mother and grandmother invested in him spiritually (2 Tim. 1:5). Especially when the father is also involved, that’s the way God intends it to be: we first learn matters of faith at the feet of our parents.
Third, God still gave Timothy a mentor — a man of God who walked beside Timothy, not replacing but complementing the work of Timothy’s family. Thus, Paul simply strengthened what Timothy’s family had already given him.
He did so, though, in a deep relationship with Timothy. He counted Timothy as his “dearly loved son” (2 Tim. 1:2), and he and Timothy shared life together — everything from the pain of persecution to the joy of victory. As Timothy watched Paul, he learned about such things as faith, patience, love, and endurance.
God created this divine connection so both men would follow Him even more fully. He still does the same today.
ACTION STEPS: Spend time today thanking God for parents and grandparents who showed faith to you. Then, thank God for others who built on the Bible foundation your family gave you. If that’s not your history, commit to developing these kinds of relationships in your own life.
PRAYER: “God, You are good to create divine connections in our lives. Thank You, Lord.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Peter 1-3, Jude 1
