Read it: Acts 16:1-5, 2 Timothy 1:2, 4-7, 2 Timothy 2:1-2
Live it:
From our reading we see a young man named Timothy who found favor with the Apostle Paul. In Acts, we see this young man who was from the town of Lystra, and 2nd Timothy tells us he lived with his grandmother and mother. The only mention of Timothy’s father was that he was Greek; we do not know if his father was a believer, if he was dead or alive, if he was part of his life, etc. We do get a bit of information on Timothy’s mother and grandmother; they were both Jewish believers, which proves that Timothy was growing up in a home that believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Timothy was very well thought of by the people in his town. So, from what we can pull from the above scriptures, Timothy was a young man whose father was not present, but he was living an honorable life for the Lord.
There was something about this young disciple that gave Paul a desire to have Timothy join him and Silas on their missionary journey. Paul takes on the role of Timothy’s spiritual father. Paul trained Timothy in “the way he should go, so he would not depart from it.” There was such a special bond between these two men of God that even when they were apart, they remembered each other in their prayers. Paul discipled Timothy in his faith; Timothy traveled with Paul. Timothy heard Paul preach, and he watched how Paul lived his life. And Paul prayed for Timothy. I can only imagine what type of conversations were held between these two. Paul raised Timothy to be a mighty man of God, and while Paul was sitting in prison, waiting to be executed, he wrote one final letter to his beloved son in the faith. In the second chapter of this final letter (2 Tim 2:2), Paul tells Timothy to take what he heard Paul preach and preach it to other faithful men who will be able to then preach it to others. Paul tells Timothy that it is now his turn to share with others what he heard Paul telling him so they will in turn preach it to others.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to do the same: learn from others who are older and wiser in the faith, then share our knowledge with those who are younger in their faith. Our faith is not our own. We are not supposed to be a lake where we hold our knowledge to ourselves, but we are called to be a life-giving river to those around us. I challenge you to ask yourself two questions: Who can I ask to pour into my life and whose life can I pour into?
Becca