“Psyche yourself up!” We’ve all told ourselves that at some point. I remember when I played sports in my (much) younger days, preparing myself mentally and emotionally to get out there and win. I remember one game in particular, we were playing our league rival. Mind you, this was like when I was 10 or 11-years-old, so it wasn’t playing for the national title but still a big game. I played linebacker. The opposing team snapped the ball and…BAM…I went through their line like I had rockets on my shoes. I was on the quarterback way behind the line of scrimmage, costing them some yards. Out of my three years of playing youth football, it was about my only play worth noting. I got hurt later that season and decided after that I would “retire” from contact sports. But for that one moment, I was ready. We had practiced, played scrimmage matches, and I was in countless neighborhood games of “shirts versus skins.” Sports can and should build character, determination, resilience, and discipline. They are a great learning experience.
In the apostle Paul’s day, Christianity was new. In the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy, Paul is writing to his “dear son” Timothy. Timothy was actively ministering, sharing the Gospel. It can be overwhelming for a young (and even experienced) pastor, but can you imagine being Timothy. He was dealing with people abandoning their faith, false teaching, legalism, and flat-out rejection. Sounds a lot like today. Compound all this with the fact that Timothy was just a young man.
Youth can sometimes be a discriminator or at least jade first impressions. I confront this every time that I board an airplane and see what looks like to me, two teenagers in the cockpit. Then I have to remind myself that they’re not getting younger, it’s me that is getting older. And that in fact my own “little boy” is an instructor pilot in the Air Force, entrusted with a multimillion-dollar aircraft. He conducts himself with professionalism, knowledge, and skill. In this verse, Paul is encouraging Timothy to not let his youth be a stumbling block for his own confidence or to others. He’s telling him to let his deportment...in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity be the example. He’s telling Timothy “You’re ready for this.” True, ours is faith that is ever growing and strengthening, and indeed with age comes wisdom and experience. But when we hold on to Christ and preach and exemplify his love, we are ready to be ministers of the Gospel.
In the apostle Paul’s day, Christianity was new. In the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy, Paul is writing to his “dear son” Timothy. Timothy was actively ministering, sharing the Gospel. It can be overwhelming for a young (and even experienced) pastor, but can you imagine being Timothy. He was dealing with people abandoning their faith, false teaching, legalism, and flat-out rejection. Sounds a lot like today. Compound all this with the fact that Timothy was just a young man.
Youth can sometimes be a discriminator or at least jade first impressions. I confront this every time that I board an airplane and see what looks like to me, two teenagers in the cockpit. Then I have to remind myself that they’re not getting younger, it’s me that is getting older. And that in fact my own “little boy” is an instructor pilot in the Air Force, entrusted with a multimillion-dollar aircraft. He conducts himself with professionalism, knowledge, and skill. In this verse, Paul is encouraging Timothy to not let his youth be a stumbling block for his own confidence or to others. He’s telling him to let his deportment...in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity be the example. He’s telling Timothy “You’re ready for this.” True, ours is faith that is ever growing and strengthening, and indeed with age comes wisdom and experience. But when we hold on to Christ and preach and exemplify his love, we are ready to be ministers of the Gospel.