Day at the Races: The First Turn! — Friday
1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. (NLT)
While it’s entirely possible I was a sensitive athlete and needed whatever reassurance my parents could give me, on several occasions when playing soccer in high school, my parents reminded me that the coaches were so hard on me because they believed I could be better. They continued by saying that the players they didn’t have faith in were the ones they left alone because they knew they wouldn’t benefit from trying to improve them.
Have you ever been reading or listening to a sermon about Paul talking to someone in a letter and found yourself thinking, “I need that in my life”? I certainly do when I observe how well he mentors young Timothy. Paul wasn’t one to pull punches—he spent years in prison during his ministry, traveled a lot, and brushed shoulders with a number of rough, militant, traveled people. He knew how to drive a harsh but needed point home when talking to believers he was mentoring. He also knew how to encourage and admonish believers into accepting that what Jesus said and did applied to them as much as anyone else.
Our verses today are Paul’s final words in 1 Timothy 6, and they serve as an encompassment of the rest of the chapter. He is bringing back around the idea that Timothy should view himself as a slave to good, and to the Word, and he reminds him to be vigilant in his coversations, his teaching, and his pursuits.
Paul mentors Timothy intentionally and intimately—he speaks as a father to his son in a lot of ways, and he takes the time to really know Timothy and what he’s experiencing in order to advise him. These letters not only help us learn from Paul’s wisdom on what it looks like to follow Jesus, but the relationship we see between Paul and Timothy also exemplifies something so important for all of us: We all need a “Paul” in our lives, and eventually, we need to be a “Paul” for other Timothys.
Friday’s Reflection
Do you need a “Paul” in your life? Or could you use your life experience to be a mentor for those younger in life or in the faith? There is no better place to look than Southland Groups! If you’ve been in a group for a while, maybe it’s time for you to step into leading a group and mentoring with the wisdom you’ve gained.
