Where is your Timothy - your true spiritual son?

September 9, 2013 - 1 Timothy 1:1-11

   ¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the commaWhnd of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

   ² To Timothy my true son in the faith:

   Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

    ³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴ or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. ⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

   ⁸ We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹ We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹ that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Apostle Paul invested his life in his successor, Timothy, also called his true son in the faith. Paul taught Timothy by his modeling as well as his teaching. He particularly exhorted Timothy to keep his pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith before God as Timothy served in the city of Ephesus that was full of spiritual challenges, including controversy of doctrines and all kinds of temptations from the lusts among the congregation. Paul, apart from carrying out mission works by himself, also selected and developed Timothy to be the successor of his pastoral ministry especially at Ephesus. He intensively developed personal relationship with Timothy as a means but also a goal of all his ministries. He saw the potential of Timothy of being the next generation leader though he was still young and not mature enough. Paul modeled himself in both words and deeds, taught Timothy about the truth of God, encouraged him while he was frustrated in his ministry, and truly loved him as his true spiritual son. Paul passed away some years later, but God's works still flourished because of Paul's passing the baton to Timothy who had grown up to be the key pastoral leader of the city of Ephesus. 

My dear Master Jesus, thanks for giving me another mentor, apostle Paul, to be my spiritual model. Cultivate in me to have eyes and a heart like that of Paul, seeing the potential of emerging leaders around me, and loving them from the bottom of my heart as my true spiritual sons and developing them to be the next generation leaders. I will pass away one day but the Lord's works will still flourish because of all these new leaders. Dear Master Jesus, I deeply desire to make my major contribution to advance Your Kingdom through developing Your people to be the new generational leaders. May Your Works and Will be done through me.