Our
study through the book of First Timothy began with an introduction to
Paul the apostle or “called out and anointed one” “of Jesus
Christ”. Paul knew he was an “apostle” by the Lord
Jesus Christ's command, and he declared “Jesus is our hope”
or “expectation of good and eternal salvation”. In chapter one
and verse two of this letter, we are introduced to “Timothy”
who is the initially intended recipient of these words where we read:
from God our Father and
Jesus Christ our Lord.
The
verse begins, “Unto Timothy, my own son
in the faith:” “Timothy” whose
name in the Greek language is “Timotheous” means “honoring
god”. Paul called him, “my own son”
or “true, genuine, sincere and non-spurious offspring, descendant,
and child” “in the faith” which
means “conviction of the truth of anything and belief in
particular toward God and His Son Jesus Christ”. Paul met Timothy
in a city called Lystra on his first missionary journey. Some believe
Paul may have stayed in Timothy's home as he knew Timothy's mother
and grandmother “Eunice” and “Lois”, and it was it this time
when Timothy is thought to have received the Lord Jesus as his
Savior. Timothy accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey
while he was yet a teenager, and he was later charged with
discovering the welfare of the church located in Thessalonica. The
bond between Paul and Timothy was such that Paul later wrote to the
Philippians, “For I have no man likeminded” as he referred
to young Timothy.
The
verse continues, “Grace, mercy, and
peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” As
is customary with letters written by Paul the apostle, he adds
“Grace” which
means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness,
charm, loveliness and unmerited favor” “mercy” or
“kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted,
joined with a desire to help them” and “peace” which is
“tranquility, harmony and concord” to his greeting. “Grace
and Peace” are usual greetings within Paul's letters, but in
the ones directed to Timothy, Titus and Philemon he adds “mercy”
which basically is “not getting what is deserved”. Paul
recognizes from whom these blessings come, “from God” who
is “God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit” who is
known as “our Father” or “those who through Christ have
been exalted to a specially close and intimate relationship with God,
and who no longer dread him as a stern judge of sinners, but revere
him as their reconciled and loving Father” “and Jesus Christ”
whose name and title means “Jehovah is Salvation the anointed one
of God” “our Lord” or “person to whom we belong, and
He who has the power of deciding”. In other words, Jesus Christ is
our master and lord, and He is the one who governs over us.
As we meditate upon this
greeting from Paul, it will be helpful for us to imagine that we are
“Timothy” to whom he is writing. The Holy Spirit of God
was the inspiration for this letter written by Paul, and it is He who
passed this teaching down through the years that we might learn from
it as well. We do well to know and receive the blessings of “Grace,
mercy and peace” from the Lord Jesus, and it is best if we
position ourselves to be “like-minded” with Paul as we
“sit as his feet” and learn. Ultimately, God our Father and Jesus
Christ His Son desire for us to know what Paul is going to present to
young Timothy, and after we know these things, may the Lord bless us
with the desire and passion to act upon them.
Next
time Paul begins his instruction to Timothy and makes reference to
Timothy's location, 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment