Timothy was probably discouraged by the demands of his ministry and needed a pick-me-up from his mentor, Paul. The apostle wanted him to do effective work, of course, so he wrote him a short letter to lift his spirits. It’s pretty amazing how much of this letter is good advice for all of us.
Near the end of the letter, Paul gives some quick hitters. It’s almost like Timothy needed his older mentor to sum it all up for him. What does it mean to be a Christian? What should I focus on?
It’s not easy, but it’s simple, Paul says: You need to run away from some things (like the dangers of money that Paul had just discussed). You need to run toward some things (like righteousness, godliness, faith, etc.). And you need to remember that the Christian life is a fight (it’s not something we do passively).
Sunday morning I’ll try to help our congregation embrace Paul’s take on the Christian life. It’s a life that requires constant diligence, but it’ll all be worth it when we see “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 14).
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