Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth, “if
Timothy comes”,
he desired that they “see
that he may be with” them
“without fear”.
Paul wrote how Timothy “works
the work of the Lord, as”
Paul “also”
did. In
chapter sixteen and verse eleven of First Corinthians, Paul
instructed the church members to, “let no
man despise” Timothy,
where we read:
Let no
man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace,
that
he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.
The
verse begins, “Let
no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, ...”
Paul began
with the word, “let” which
means “allow or permit” “no man”
which refers to “not one person whether male or female”
“therefore”
which means “then, accordingly, consequently and these things
being so” “despise him”
or “make Timothy contemptible, least esteemed and set at nought”:
“but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “conduct
him forth” or
“bring, accompany, set forward and fit him out with the requisites
for a journey” “in peace” which
means “in harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity and
felicity”. Paul wanted no one to treat Timothy with contempt but
rather accept and send him “peaceably” within and from the
church.
The
verse goes on to say, “... that
he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.”
Paul added
the words, “that he may come” which
means “so Timothy might arise from one place to another” “unto
me” or
“toward Paul”: “for”
which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “I look” which
means “Paul received, accepted, expected and awaited” “for
him” or
“for Timothy” “with the brethren”
or “alongside fellow believers united to another by the bond of
affection”. Paul desired that Timothy come to where he was, and he
wanted him to be among the group of “brethren”
who were
coming to see him.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we see his advocation for
Timothy as he desired for the church members not only to accept him,
but also to insure that he would be among those traveling to him.
These are practical and logistical matters, and yet, they are
important to the “gospel” message. We should receive people who
are concerned with the “good news” of Jesus, and should they need
assistance in their travels, let us be among those who provide
support.
Next
time
Paul shares with the church members, “as
touching our brother Apollos”,
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”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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