Category: Devotions

5 things about people
2 Timothy 4

You will lose some people:
Demas couldn’t cope any longer and wanted out so he left. Crescens and Titus left for their own reasons. Paul didn’t ask them to go, but they went. Paul sent Tychicus to preach. Onesiphorus had probably died as Paul greeted his household. Erastus had an important job in the city of Ephesus (Romans 16:23) so didn’t go into Paul’s next chapter of his life. Not everyone gets healed and Trophimus had stay behind.

You will keep some people:
Luke was the writer, he’d seen it all, a fellow journeyman. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and others who are nameless, who knows who these are, except they were friends. Your friends may not be well-known but they can be highly valuable.

You will gain people:
Mark returned after that earlier fall-out.

You will be hurt by people:
Alexander is handed over to God, and Paul makes sure he doesn’t give a good reference.

You will remember people:
Paul probably stayed at the house of Carpus, he had left his winter coat there and his books. He greets the great couple, Priscilla and Acquila.

People and the greatest of all is in the last verse, The Lord. He is with you!!

Jannes and Jambres.
2 Timothy 3
These 2 men opposed Moses according to Paul. However, you will never find their names in the Old Testament, They are just not there, I checked.
Now I am sure there are many who have their own theories on who these two were exactly, however Paul knew about them, he did know their names. Whether they were recorded in some Jewish writing or maybe their names were passed down generationally. I am not focused on that right now. My point is this: can you imagine being known for generations as being an opposer, a blocker, someone who discourages and gets in the way? We all know someone who opposes not promotes and we give them a wide berth.
Don’t be known as a Jannes and Jambres. Don’t let your name be used in the generations to come as someone who was known for their opposing qualities rather than their supporting ones!
For that to happen I think it’s fairly easy: make sure today someone gets encouraged and makes sure today you don’t discourage anyone.

The beauty of one verse.
2 Timothy 2
Verse 1

My son. He wasn’t his son. Not biologically. But Paul was his spiritual father. We are short of such fathers. We have fathers but not spiritual fathers. The ones that demonstrate Christlikeness. The ones that cheer on, applaud and have a desire that the son goes further, does more, than the father. The ones who say “keep going”,v3; “keep focused”, v4-6; “keep looking to Jesus”, v8-13; “keep leading”, v14 onwards.

Be strong in the grace. We must find our strength not in our achievements and our status, our titles and accomplishments. We must find strength not in the plaudits and praise of man. But we are strong in a love that is not based on whether we are good or bad, whether we are successful or have failed, but in grace. Grace that seems unfair. Grace that covers and clothes. Grace that never dies because He died to release it. You will let many people down, you will disappoint, you will not be popular all the time. But be strong in Grace. By doing so you will realise you are not perfect, you need Grace. You probably agree with your critics, but Grace disagrees. You do not take yourself too seriously, you know you will always need Grace. You can survive your humanity because of Grace.

This is Grace not from man. Man can never deliver such Grace. Man wants conditions. They want a win-win. You get something from them but they want something from you. Man can not let you fail and get away with it. They won’t let it pass. They must speak up. Thank God it is not this Grace we need. But the Grace that makes us strong is found in Christ Jesus. Remember Him, Jesus, raised from the dead … This is my gospel, v8.

It’s worth reminding ourselves.

You’re just like your mum!
2 Timothy 1
Eunice’s name means ‘Good victory’.
We all want a good victory at some time in our lives!
Her victory came about through her sincere faith.
What did it mean for her to have a sincere faith?

* It was tested with the ‘why’ question?
In Acts 16 we are told that Timothy’s dad was a Greek, not a believing Jew like Eunice. There is no evidence that he ever converted. It takes faith to live with an unanswered prayer. Many do. Why God are you not answering my prayers for my husband?
Are you being tested by illness?
Are you being tested by unanswered prayers?

* The genuineness was seen by her sharing the faith.
And who did she share it with? To Timothy her son.
We will read in chapter 3 how Paul reminded Timothy he had learnt the Scriptures as an infant.
Even before she became a Christian, as a Jewess she was sharing her Abrahamic faith and the Old Testament stories with Timothy. She made known the Holy Scriptures till Timothy owned them himself.

* Open hands are always the sign of sincere faith.
Eunice released her son to join Paul’s missionary journeys. Generosity reveals the genuine. Faith is always in the letting go.

These are the keys to a good victory.

Why Mission?

It is when I am with the church planters in Asia that I understand what it means to flee the trappings of this world and the indulgent emphasis on material gain, v7-11.

It is when I am in the church in Swaziland that I begin to notice the beauty of Christlikeness within the honourable life, v11.

It is when I am reading as I did last night an email from a friend whose colleague, a Pentecostal Pastor in Niamey, Niger, who a few days ago has seen his church and house burnt to the ground by Muslims and who has lost everything he owned that I begin to understand what it is to fight the good fight of the faith, v12.

It is when I am sitting with the traumatised raped women within the DRC that I know what it is to hold on to eternity, v12.

This is why Christians like us in the western world should have a hand stretched out to the world beyond.
We are full for being with the empty.
We are nicer people for knowing the honourable.
We are stronger when we are with the weakened.
We have better perspective when with the broken.

This is the benefit for every Christian and every Church to hold a hand out to the world.
This is missions. They are waiting for us, for our prayers, for us to go and for us to give.
Please do something today. Let them know their life is worth something. They need to know it’s not wasted. That before they pass from this life they have impacted us here in our castles.

Who are really in need, v3
Who is really in need, v5
Who are really in need, v16
Do you get the picture?
1 Timothy 5
Paul gives guidelines on who to give to.
1. Don’t give if others especially family members can but who don’t, v4.
2. Give to those who are asking God and whose trust for the answer is in Him not those who are simply asking for help, v5.
3. Don’t give to those who have, v6.
4. Only give within an agreed policy, v9 onwards.
5. Give within the context of your culture, v9 onwards, living in Ephesus in the first century was not like today, we need to understand our culture.
6. Don’t let giving become a burden too heavy to bear, v16
7. Don’t give because the person is your favourite, v21

The Spirit clearly says
1 Timothy 4:1-4

It was 11am Sunday morning, half an hour into the service and Big John stood up and spoke at length in a language very unfamiliar to me. The person next to me whispered, “the Holy Spirit is talking, wait and you will hear the message in English.” I was 14 yrs of age and learning that the Spirit spoke in an unknown language but that it could be understood in English. Big John would follow the similar pattern most Sunday mornings and usually the Spirit chose 11am to speak.

We all have experiences like mine perhaps. Thankfully they are fewer than the real directive, encouraging directional words of the Spirit that have shaped ours and many people’s lives.

The letter from Paul was for Timothy who was leading the church in Ephesus.
The temple Artemis was there. It was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Various cultures and religions (usually involving some form of magic) mixed in Ephesus. Sport, sex, art (usually depicting some sex act) was big business.

“Timothy, the Spirit clearly says that what you are experiencing with regards false teaching is going to come.”
But I want to know how we know what the Spirit is clearly saying?
Is there anything in these few verses that can help us?
The clarity of the Spirit:
1. Will be focused on the FUTURE, v1
2. Will be culturally RELEVANT in the present, v1-3
3. Will always COMPETE with other spirits to speak to us, v1
4. Will be founded from within CREATION, when everything was good, v4
5. THANKFULNESS as a lifestyle is the best environment to hold the Spirits voice, v4
6. The regular repeated reading of the BIBLE familiarises us with the voice of God, v4
7. PRAYER will take us to the quiet meditation of our spirit with God’s where we can begin to listen and contemplate the still voice within us, v4
Today lets make sure we are living in such a way that the Spirit’s voice is very clear.

Do you pass?
1 Timothy 3
The list?
What if I am not what I should be?
Those who love these kind of lists and think themselves perfect are rubbing their hands with glee.
For those of us who are doing our best are so relieved for the last verse.
Paul quotes a hymn, and for those of us who fail at times, we are so glad He did:
He appeared in a body … Incarnated into human form. He understands our journey, our weakness, our failings because he took that same path. He appeared in a body and He has come to live in us.

Was vindicated by the Spirit … Through a sinless life, through a victorious resurrection. The Spirit was with Him. You may be judged by man, but the Spirit will clear your name. The Spirit is working for you, with you, leading you.

Was seen by angels … He was made lower than the Angels and yet the Angels could not comprehend the glory. The whole of heaven watched. And we are seen. Seen by God’s messenger Angels, avenging Angels, guardian Angels. The Spirit has an army working for you.

Preached among the nations … The life of Jesus was mission to the whole world. Your life was created for the same reason. You may have failed the list at times but have you shared Christ to your world?

Believed on in the world …. Jesus is still influencing the world. Today, 60,000 people will come to Him and make Him their Lord and Saviour. Your influence is bigger than you can possibly could know.

Was taken up in glory … He ascended, though laid down by man, the Spirit lifted Him. You too will be exalted even though you may be humbled right now. He will lift your head, He will raise you high, He will be glorified in you.

This is why I am not overly concerned if I don’t tick all the right boxes. If I try and fail it’s not over because of this hymn. Because of Him!

Women should be silent, unappealing to the eye and not be a leader!
1 Timothy 2
I don’t actually believe that title, I used it to grab your attention.
But some people do.
They like their women to be a certain type of woman. By ‘they’, I mean the men, the opposite sex who are experts in the field of what is acceptable or not have here verses in the Bible that support their graciousness.
For centuries the great minds of New Testament Greek and Theology have hotly debated what Paul really meant.
So let me join in the fun with a few of my own simple thoughts:
1. This is Paul’s letter to Timothy, 1:1-2, it is not a universal letter.
2. The Ephesus church were believing a lot of false strange teaching, 1:3.
3. Paul wanted men to pray, we assume rightly this also applied to women, 2:8
4. The reason why he mentions the men is because it looks like the only hands they were lifting were their own fists.
5. Paul’s dress code in v9 is just that, Paul’s and even then it is not about the outward appearance as much as the outward actions of a good lifestyle. What good is it for a woman to look beautiful but conduct herself in an ugly way?
6. Quietness is not silence, v11
7. The best learning environment is not loud and noisy with a disrespectful disarray, that’s the point of v11 and we assume rightly this also applies to men as Paul indicated earlier their use of ‘clenched fists’.
8. Who is the woman Paul has in mind? This is not women in general but a singular woman. She presumably was teaching false doctrines and she was assuming authority over men. The word to focus on is not authority as is the word assuming. The word carries meanings of arrogance, presumptuous and forcefully taking over as opposed to being invited to do so. Paul would not let the woman in question do that.

Not everyone believes the above, the objectors tend to be men.

What to do with your personal prophecies.
1 Timothy 1:18-19
You may have a Bible where you underlined that important verse which spoke to you all those years ago. You may have a plaque on the wall or a fridge magnet where the quotation is a voice in your house. You may have a journal with that prophetic word given to you in a church service was written down in excited enthusiasm.
So what should you do with them?
From these two verses we can see we should:

1. Remember them.
2. Tell someone else about them and ask them to remember too.
3. Follow them, aligning your life with them.
4. Be inspired by them and helped in life by them.
5. Let them cause you to hold on despite your struggles.

We like the prophesies but we need the “instruction in keeping with the prophesy”.