I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith… For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life… (2 Timothy 1:3–9, abridged)
Paul opens his second letter to Timothy in a more gentle manner than he uses in his first. Many biblical commentators think that by the time he wrote this letter, the crisis with the false teachers had passed, which Paul addressed not only in 1 Timothy but in Titus. He probably wrote this letter four years after he wrote 1 Timothy, dictating his words while in chains during his second imprisonment in Rome, soon before his execution. These are therefore his last words to his beloved friend and one whom he mentored in the faith; one for whom he prays for “night and day” (v.3) and longs to see one last time.
In 1 Timothy Paul emphasizes our part in working out our faith in practice, and in this letter he also highlights the role of God’s transforming power. For instance, Timothy should “fan into flame” the gifts that God has given him. Although Timothy may take the initial action, a power other than he brings about the result (as wind will stoke a fire, so the Lord will blow his Spirit into Timothy). The Spirit’s working will yield the gifts of power, love, and self-discipline as Timothy pursues a holy life.
May the triune God fan into flame our faith.
For Reflection: “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)
“She hasn’t reached her full potential.”
Are there more damning words?
As I think about potential, I find I’m reeling a bit from my team’s second loss of the season last night. The Minnesota Vikings were lauded as the ones to watch, the ones with all of the potential to win, but the reality doesn’t seem to be meeting those grand hopes. Their record of one win, two losses, and a dreaded tie leaves me uncertain.
But more important than a football team’s status, what about the effect of those words spoken over us, either by friends or loved ones or observers? Someone’s negative assessment can leave us feeling deflated and unwilling to put ourselves out there again. We can begin to question whether we have anything to contribute.
The antidote is not to listen to all of those voices, but to turn, again, to the Audience of One. When we hear His words of love and affirmation, we know that we are fully loved. Whispers of potential fade away when we know our worth is rooted in Him.
I am taking part in the #fiveminutefriday community. To write your own and link up with the other writers, you can do so here.
Pause for a moment and breathe. Imagine you’re on a calm lake, and the sun will soon set. Hints of the glorious colors the sky will morph into in moments appear, the pinks and reds beckoning. You inhale the sweet scent of calm, wanting to enjoy the moment, reveling in the wonder of God’s creation. You let your cares fall away, even if for just a short slice of time. You whisper a prayer of thanks, that God has given you this gift of being, of enjoying, of wonder.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen (1 Timothy 6:11–16).
As Paul brings his letter to conclusion, he warns Timothy not to act as the false teachers, but to “fight the good fight of the faith” (v12). Note his list of spiritual practices for Timothy to embrace – to flee ungodliness, pursue righteousness, take hold of eternal life, keep these commands. We are to live out the gift of life in the kingdom of God every day, employing our wills, minds, and bodies.
Paul in his other letters often speaks of putting off the old self and embracing the new (see Ephesians 4:22–24, for example), again emphasizing this practice as an active one. Living in the fallen world as we do, and being subject to our sinful nature, we need to put on the new self daily. We may do so through such actions as confession and receiving forgiveness, asking for God’s help in making wise and godly choices, and filling our mind with his words.
For we know, as Paul says, that our God is the only Ruler, King and Lord, he who is immortal and unapproachable, but he who makes the way clear for us to rest in his love.
Prayer: Father God, help me shed any of my habits that are unhealthy, that I might live out of my redeemed self.
Is anything ever really finished, complete?
We work on decreasing our bursting inbox, and even though we may reach that vaunted zero status, what happens? People start replying to those emails. In droves. Meaning we have even more emails to reply to. (When was the last time I reached zero status? I don’t rightly recall.)
Or we get the house clean and decluttered. Dust removed, piles of papers sorted, toys put away, given away, thrown away. Then someone slops on the carpet or doesn’t clean up their toast crumbs, and boom, the house is messy again. (When was the last time the vicarage was fully clean? I don’t rightly recall.)
Or, here’s a favorite, we get fully caught up on our admin. The taxes are done! The accounts fully up to date! Insurance of every kind has been renewed. Appointments for all sorts of anything have been made. (When was the last time we got all the admin done? I don’t rightly recall.)
Life in all its pieces can feel overwhelming at times. I suppose I cram so much in, whether it be family times and travel, or work projects, that these life maintenance sorts of things can get easily edged out. Along with the fact that I don’t enjoy many of these tasks.
A bigger issue is that on this side of heaven, life will never be complete. We’ll never reach perfection – there will always be something else to do. But our longings remind us of the perfection that awaits us when we join God in glory. When the taxes will no longer be an issue and everything will be clean and shiny.
Until then, we experience moments of transcendence through the love of God with us moment by moment. And that is enough.
I am taking part in the #fiveminutefriday community. To write your own and link up with the other writers, you can do so here.
Autumn can take me by surprise. Maybe part of that relates to us enjoying the school holidays and then returning to work and school routines with a bang. At least that’s how it was this year, with us going in quick succession over the summer to Minnesota, then a spell at home, and then Wales and Spain, returning the night before school started the next morning. We had reasons for the packed travel schedule, and I knew it would be good but taxing in its own way. And it was.
So from hot and sunny Spain back to the UK with its days of sunshine morphing into wind and rain. A quick landing as we settled our youngest into her new secondary school, and then the surprise at the end of the first week hearing she’d been given a place at her favored secondary school and the ensuing change. The dust seems to be settling as the days begin to draw in.
Autumn – and winter – will come, whether or not we’re ready. What do you need or want to do to welcome the season?
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:6–10).
Some ask, “How much is enough?” And another will answer, “Just the next deal/conquest/thing to buy.” For the human heart wants and yearns for fulfillment, and when we aren’t seeking God to fill those empty spaces, we’ll look to all sorts of other things to fill the void. Such as money to buy us stuff – for social status, ease of convenience, gratification.
Note in the text that Paul says that the love of money can lead to evil – not that all money leads to evil, nor that money itself is evil. Rather he’s speaking about the state of people’s hearts, namely what are they desiring. As they plot and plan about acquiring the next best thing, they can find it increasingly difficult to resist temptation, which can lead to ruin. Paul, in contrast, counsels contentment with what we have. After all, we can’t take any of our stuff with us into the next life, and the Lord would have us seek his love, peace, and joy as true riches to share.
I’ve met people who don’t have many material possessions and yet foster a stingy attitude, and I’ve met people with a lot of money who not only are generous, but don’t seem defined by their worldly wealth. As Paul says, it’s all down to the state of our hearts.
Over to you. How much is enough?
Prayer: Father God, we yearn for contentment; we yearn for you. By your Holy Spirit, fill the places in our souls that feel empty and void, that we might desire aright.
Time on a boat affords much thought, if you’re a solitary rower like the one in this painting by my dad. As we turn to autumn, why not take some time to reflect over your summer. What were some highlights? Lowlights? How did you react to them? How did you sense God moving in and through you during the highs and lows – and all the times in between? As you take some time to reflect, consider what speaks to you in the painting.
For me, summer involved travel. Times to see loved ones making new and precious memories; times to experience new places and sights; times to remember that as physical beings, we get tired and hungry and need some down time. The tree stretching across the water tells me that God erects a shelter over me, to provide relief from the baking sun and reminds me to sink my roots deeply into the rich soil, that I might access his living water.
How about you?
Summer can be a time for tourism, with people indulging in things that they wouldn’t do at home – like taking a ride in a horse-driven carriage. Does this sound like fun to you?
What I like about this watercolor by my dad is that it’s a study for a more involved painting. I like the spare strokes and white space. How can you fill your life with more white space?