Paul was very fond of Timothy and speaks of him often. This letter, written around A.D. 64, provides pastoral advice to Timothy as he led the large church of Ephesus.
What first sticks out to me is the correct motivation to lead & teach: love. Not knowledge, gifting, selfish ambition, education, money, or power. Everything we do - big or small - must be done in love. LOVE - a word so often misinterpreted, so often misunderstood. What is LOVE? Paul tells us that love comes from a pure heart (no selfish motives), a good conscience (no guilt), and a sincere faith (not just words, but actions).
Second, one must understand the true purpose of the law in order to correctly teach. The law was given to provide us with a model of what constitutes right behavior. Here Paul says it was given for the lawbreakers and the rebels. It points out the wrong, provides examples, explains how relationships are broken. The law isn't in place to enslave us. It's not about how many we keep and how many we break. It's there to show us what is wrong, how not to live. It provides a comparison. Those who believe, those who enter into a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ are free from this law - from the weights and measures. We aren't judged on our ability to follow the law, we are simply accepted by His grace. Hallelujah! Don't ever let anyone tell you any different!
Paul uses himself as an example here. He says he was the worst of sinners. Paul was a Pharisee - a church leader in the Jewish religion of the day. He spent his life learning the scriptures and teaching them to others. BUT - all his faith was in his head. His religion was knowledge and obedience. How well he could follow the law & force others to do the same? Paul went so far as to hunt down Christians to imprison and murder them because he thought they were ruining the Jewish faith. He knew every prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, yet he failed to recognize Him when He came! And still he was shown mercy & given a second chance. If Jesus will do this for the worst of sinners, for a man that did everything in his power to stop the message of Jesus Christ, what will HE do for you?
Never let yourself forget that it's all about Jesus Christ and what He did on that cross. It's not about you or what you did. It's all about Jesus' love for you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need to be better, do better, obey better for God to love you. He already does! We are all sinners, we all mess up, we all make mistakes. God doesn't cast us out for being human. The only way to be cast out is to reject Him and even then, He still loves you! He will never give up on you, so don't ever give up on Him.
So, what's all this talk about being righteous? Isn't that what God wants? Well, God wants what is best for us. He doesn't want us to suffer. He knows what's best for us because He created us. He keeps telling us to be righteous because that's what is best for us. It keeps us out of harm's way, brings us joy instead of sorrow, makes us strong, helps us to persevere. It helps us live the best life possible, instead of just getting by. Be righteous because it is how God made us to be.
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