Timothy

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

~2 Timothy 2:11-13

I love Timothy. First and Second Timothy are probably my two favorite books in the whole Bible. I have so many verses highlighted in them, but every time I read it I notice something I didn’t before. The pages of Timothy in my Bible look the way my whole Bible should look.

I think one of the reasons I like Timothy so much is because it was written to a teenager, so I can relate to it. I know that the whole Bible is applicable to everyone, but there’s something about being in the same shoes as the person it was written for.

Of course, some of the verses are a little hard to swallow. Like 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says ^“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Is this verse saying that men are better than women? Absolutely not. What it is saying is that men have authority over women. That’s not the same as being better. For example, children should listen to their parents in submission. Parents have authority over their children. But that does not make parents better than the children.

There are several verses like that, but each one makes sense if you look close enough. Those verses appear throughout the entire Bible, and some of them we won’t understand until we get to heaven. We just have to remember that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16.

I would someday like to organize a Bible study for Timothy and look at all of those difficult passages. The only thing is, it would take months.

Now, in the beginning of this post I mentioned being in the same shoes as the person it was written to. Well, that’s not entirely true. One problem with today’s teenagers accomplishing God’s tasks is the expectations. People don’t expect a whole lot of American teenagers, and that make’s it hard. When you do small things, such as say thank you when someone opens the door for you, the world flips out about what a great kid you are. They pat you on the shoulder till your arm falls off. With that much appreciation over simple things, it’s hard to go the extra mile. You are already appreciated. Why should you do more?

Well, that’s a discussion for another time. One of my favorite websites answers that question. They also have two books dedicated to answering that question, and every summer they have a conference that, again, answers that question. Their key verse is from Timothy. It’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” ~1Timothy 4:12