Titus 1 - Choosing Leaders

I am a big fan of understanding one's purpose in doing something, and also in sharing it with those who are affected by it.  As Paul writes this letter to the younger man, Titus, I love verse 5, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you."
A couple thoughts here: first Paul doesn't feel pressure to do it all himself.  He readily admits that there are things he left unfinished and is willing to trust others to continue his work.  Then, we get into what leaders of the church in Crete ought to look like.  In verses 6-9, we can read those qualifications.

In verses 10-16, we see why Titus is encouraged to be thoughtful and careful when choosing leaders.  He doesn't want to wind up in a situation where his selected leaders have turned out to be among those who "claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him."  Those who are responsible to appoint and train leaders ought to be equally careful.

2 Timothy 4 - Keep Your Head!

Here's what I learned or was reminded of in Chapter 4.

-  Jesus will indeed judge the living and the dead
- people will be hostile toward the gospel message and will rework it to suit their desires
- in the midst of these situations, our job is to stay focused, to "keep your head in all situations" as Paul writes to Timothy
- Paul is not a lone ranger, asking for help and remembering those who contributed to the work he did (v. 9-21)

On to Titus!

2 Timothy 3 -- Bad news/Good news

The bad news is relayed in verses 1-9.  Here is the reality of how those who follow the way of the world are going to be dealing with each other.  It isn't pretty.  The list found in verses 1-8 is depressing.

But the message begins to take a turn in verse 9, when Paul rights that these evildoers won't get very far.  In the end, we know who comes out on top in this struggle.  The instructions that Paul provides in verses 10-17 are an inspiration to anyone who desires to live a godly life.  Paul is confident enough to use his life as an example, not of perfection, but of having a heart turned toward God.  He encourages Timothy (and us) when persecution comes, telling him that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (v. 12).

In verses 14-15 he tells Timothy (and us) to continue in what we've been taught.  And he points Timothy (and us) toward the Word of God, declaring its power to change hearts and make us more of who we were created to be.  Ultimately, that we might be prepared to do every good work.  One question I wonder about sometimes, did Paul have any concept at all when he was writing letters like this, that one day, they too would become part of what we are convinced is God's Word?  Crazy to think about.

2 Timothy 2 - Strong in Christ's Grace

Verse one of 2 Timothy 2 reveals an important truth.  We are to be strong.  And the strength we are to display is made possible only by the grace of Christ Jesus.  That's not typically how I think about strength.  When I am strong, it's because I am able.  I have achieved something for myself that enables me to exhibit that strength.  But that's the opposite of what we see here.

In John 15 Jesus talks about how He is the vine and we are the branches.  We draw our nourishment from Him alone and as a result we are able to "bear much fruit".  This feels like the same type of idea.  Paul is pushing Timothy to be strong, but not to rely on himself as the source of that strength.

There are a few other major ideas from this chapter.  Verse two is often quoted as an example of how and why to share the Good News of Jesus.  We are to entrust this message to reliable people who are qualified to teach others.

And the last half of the chapter is a great reminder of how God desires to use us for His purposes, and that our usefulness to Him is directly tied to our closeness with Him.  Have we fled the evil desires of youth and pursued righteousness, faith, love and peace?  Have we cleansed ourselves from wickedness?  Are we quarrelsome?  And have we understood that our ability to answer these questions the way we are "supposed to" comes not from within ourselves but from abiding in His grace?

2 Timothy 1 - Paul's final letter

2 Timothy isn't the last of Paul's letters in the order of the New Testament, but it's believed to be the final letter he wrote before his execution in Rome.  A man's dying words ought to be especially significant and Paul is certainly no exception.

In chapter 1, he renews his affection for Timothy referring to him as "my dear son" (v. 2).  We see Paul encouraging Timothy to remain strong and full of courage.  "So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord....But join with me in suffering for the gospel" (v. 8).  Paul points to his own personal suffering and wears it proudly, as he views the suffering as part of his divine calling, and as his days are numbered, Paul affirms his hope in the life to come (v. 12).

In the last section of the chapter we see names of three men.  My heart breaks for Phygelus and Hermogenes, whose claim to fame in the chronicles of biblical history seems to be that each of them joined others in deserting Paul.  One wonders why those two were singled out.

If our goal is to finish strong, we ought to aspire to be like Onesiphorus, one who loved Paul until the end.  "Unashamed" of Paul's imprisonment, Onesiphorus travels from Ephesus and searches Rome until finding Paul, bringing him refreshment.  "May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!" (v. 18).  May we find that same mercy.  Amen.

1 Timothy 6 - Contentedness and Wandering

So often we hear 1 Timothy 6:10 misquoted as "the love of money is the root of all evil", or "money is the root of all evil".  That's not what it says.  It does say that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil", as in "a whole lot of evil".  I don't think anyone can argue with that.  At the same time, we need to understand that the principle here isn't against money itself, but rather against greed and a lack of contentedness.  When we see what people have and want it for ourselves, rather than being grateful for all we have, we put our hearts in a very dangerous place.  It's basically impossible to honor God while feeling sorry for myself because somebody else can afford something that I want.

At the end of verse 10 we see that the love of money has cause some to "wander from the faith", an expression that gets repeated at the very end of the chapter in verse 21.  This second group of wanderers has embraced godless chatter and false teachings, and in doing they have also "wandered from the faith".  The idea of wandering is interesting.  They didn't sprint away.  It didn't happen all at once.  It was a gradual drift that resulted in people distancing themselves from the love of Jesus.  They simply wandered away.  May we always be on guard to make sure that we are not doing so ourselves, committing each day to following Him and asking Him to grab hold of us tightly if/when we begin to wander.

1 Timothy 5 - Widows

In verses 3-16 we get a pretty detailed picture of how to deal with widows in the church.  I love it when Paul writes "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith" (v. 8).

But the first couple verses of the chapter must not be skipped over, basically instructing us to deal with older men and women as we would our parents, and younger ones as we would our siblings.  What a world it would be if we could actually pull that off (assuming that we treat our parents and siblings well.  That alone might be a pretty good start.)

We also see that elders, those with a shepherding role in the church are worthy of extra honor, respect and provision.  The Old Testament reference about muzzling the ox reminds us that those who labor on behalf of God are allowed to earn a living doing so if possible.  Paul is an interesting case study in this area.  In some places, he made it clear that he provided for his needs by his work as a tentmaker, so as not to be a burden to anyone (1 Thes. 2:9 and 2 Thes. 3:8 for example).  In other places (Philippians 4:15-16, for one) we read about Paul graciously receiving the gifts from other believers.  Clearly, there is a time to receive and a time to provide for oneself, depending on the various circumstances.

At the end of the chapter, we get a glimpse of the personal side of the relationship between Paul and Timothy when the younger is reminded to drink a little wine to settle his frequent stomach ailments.  Reading that helps me remember that this book is the inspired Word of God, but is also a letter from one friend to another.