As Paul the apostle
continued to give final instructions to Timothy his “dearly
beloved son”, he declared he was “not ashamed” of
his suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul proclaimed, “I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day”, and
therefore he wasn't overly concerned with the consequences from
declaring salvation through Jesus Christ. In chapter one and verse
thirteen of his final letter to Timothy, Paul gave instructions
concerning “sound words” where we read:
Hold fast the form of
sound words, which you have heard of me,
in faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus.
As Paul the
apostle continued to give final instructions to Timothy his “dearly
beloved son”, he declared he was “not ashamed” of
his suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul proclaimed, “I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day”, and
therefore he wasn't overly concerned with the consequences from
declaring salvation through Jesus Christ. In chapter one and verse
thirteen of his final letter to Timothy, Paul gave instructions
concerning “sound words” where we read:
Hold fast
the form of sound words, which you have heard of me,
in faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus.
The
verse begins, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which
you have heard of me,...” Paul
began with the phrase, “Hold fast”
which means “have, own, possess and cling to” “the
form” or “outline,
sketch, brief and summary exposition, example and pattern” “of
sound words” which means “safe, free from error, healthy and
whole speech and discourse”. Paul continued, “which you have
heard” or “perceived, attended to and considered” “of
me” which means “from, beside, at and near Paul”. Paul the
apostle gave instructions to Timothy as he grew in his relationship
with the Lord and with the church in Ephesus, and Paul's exhortation
was to “have, own, possess, cling to and be an example” of the
words and ideas which he conveyed.
The verse continues,
“... in faith and love which is in
Christ Jesus.” Not
only was Timothy to “hold fast”
to these “sound words”,
but he was to do so “in faith”
or “in conviction of the truth that God
exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and
bestower of eternal salvation through Christ and a strong and welcome
conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we
obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God” “and
love” which is the Greek word “agapē”
and
means “affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly and
unconditional love” “which
is in”
or “that is by, with, among and through” “Christ”
who is “the anointed one and Messiah” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation”. Timothy was to
demonstrate and live out the “sound
words”
which Paul gave him with a belief and trust that is found in “Christ
Jesus”.
As
we meditate upon Paul's words, let us examine ourselves and determine
whether we follow and demonstrate “sound
words” or
not? From where do we get our ideas and instructions for living? Is
it from philosophy, good books, conversations with others, television
programs, movies or interactive dialogue with teachers? Is it from
the Bible where God Almighty conveys His ideas about how we should be
and live? Perhaps it is time to scrutinize our “words”
and ideas and decide if they align with God's, and if we are in doubt
about any of them, maybe it is time to turn back to the scriptures
and discover the Lord's way of managing ourselves. May the Lord Jesus
help us to know and be examples of His “sound
words”,
and may others know that we live our lives according to our faith,
trust and love of the ways of God and not just the ways of other
venues.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy what to do with that which was “committed
unto” him, so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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