Alright then, time to start a new book in the Bible. The next one is Timothy. Kinda curious was it has inside so I read a little about it. It was written to, guess who, Timothy who can be described as timid. Kind of nice to know that there were others before me who were called to share about Jesus who were not as bold as Paul. I'm an introvert and to have someone I can identify with helps immensely.
Something that caught my eye right away after the introduction is a warning to not allow people to argue with genealogies. Evidently who and are many go back to where and when just wasn't important or a salvation issue. That caught my eye because conservative Adventists are insistent that the world was created 6,000 years ago. As a historian, I disagree since archaeology has found artifacts that can be placed 6,000 years ago... which means that the flood happened before then. So to come across this bit of advice to not worry about time frames was kinda nice.
Then Paul jumps into a description of what love is... and that we should have that. We should "love from a pure heart." Remember 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 and what it says that love is? It describes many things, but as I was reading what Paul wrote... the particular phrases "it is not proud," "does not delight in evil," and "keeps no record of wrongs" popped into my mind. Love is everything good and God is love.
Paul continues his description of where love comes from... "from a good conscience." It seems simple so far right? But seriously. Think about it. What does it take to have a "good conscience"? So many small things. So many big things. They all happen and influence our lives. Events, thoughts, relations... are you okay with how you handle things? Are you okay with what you think? Are you willing to stand before Jesus in all His glory and look into His face... and then think, do, react the way that you do? I know I feel guilt and uneasiness many times. Prayer and His Word are my lifelines to getting back up, because I will fall down.
Paul's last part of the description is "from a sincere faith." Sincere has an almost innocent ring to it doesn't it. I think that this was a well chosen word to use. To truly mean it. I trust Jesus. I believe Jesus, Son of God, came to earth and became flesh in order to live our lives and die in our place. I believe Jesus rose again and is waiting to someday reunite with us. I believe that... and accept His love.
Sadly, Paul is having to explain this because there are people in the church that Timothy comes into contact with that are the opposite. People who have "turned aside to idle talk." I wouldn't mind a definition of "idle talk." This is where being in a Sabbath School group to discuss this would come in handy. Also people who have desire to "be teachers of the law." Another serious sounding issue. Finally people who don't understand what they are saying or what they claim to believe.
The first three of what we should be and the last three that are what we shouldn't can be paired up to create a good and worthy conclusion. Again, I would love to talk about this friends but I'm a bit... confined... to location. And also, it looks like this is a bit bigger for a blog so going to conclude without finishing the chapter.
Conclusion: We should have pure hearts filled with love, instead of talking idly with that which is not love. We should have a good conscience full of God's love instead of trying to hold the law over others or ourselves. We should love God and humans with a sincere heart instead of saying "I love Jesus, He saved me, Hallelujah!" without understanding what we are saying or claiming.
This is a place where I am study God's Word for myself. I am a bit of a historian so also including some research into the culture of the times and people that I come across as I read the Bible will be here too. This is just a way for me to share what I learn with others as well as feel like I am being held accountable for keeping up with my devotions. I am lazy by nature and need that small check and balance.
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