“Keep on, keeping on”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, February 7, 2023
2 Timothy 1:1-14 (Forward, p. 9) CEV p. 1249
Timothy is a young Christian, and a young Christian pastor to boot, and so it is quite natural for him to feel at least a wee bit hesitant and uncertain about his leadership role. (Actually, this is a good thing for pastors of any age, to feel humbled by its immense and grave responsibility and to feel somewhat intimidated by its weight). So, Paul wants to encourage Timothy and motivate him to keep on with his good work. In order to encourage him Paul mentions several people who have been influential in Timothy’s life:
a) First off, there are Eunice and Lois, his mother and grandmother, two people who had a strong and genuine faith, and who, presumably raised him in the faith and passed it on to him. Even though Timothy’s father was Greek and not a Christian, they succeeded in instilling in Timothy a strong and vibrant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, Paul implores Timothy not to forget this but always adhere to and always imitate their good examples.
b) Secondly, Paul mentions Timothy’s own ordination to ministry, when he and others laid hands on him for the gift of the Holy Spirit and when they prophesied certain things about his ministry (see 1 Timothy 1:18; 4:14). And so, he doesn’t need to feel intimidated by anyone or anything. Indeed, that gift of the Holy Spirit was meant to empower and equip him for ministry, to give him a sense of power, and love and self-control. And so, he is to make full use of that power.
c) And finally, Paul holds up his own example. He is in jail for serving the Lord Jesus Christ and preaching the Gospel, but he is not ashamed or intimidated, not in the least. And, he is fully confident that the One who called him, the Lord Jesus Christ, can guard him and keep him until the last day. And so Paul exhorts Timothy to remain strong, to follow his example of correct teaching, to model his life on the faith and love of Christ Jesus, and to guard the precious treasure of the Gospel with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within him.
d) And notice one other thing: as wonderful and edifying and instructive as these human examples and role-models these human beings are, it is still the Holy Spirit who motivates, empowers, equips and stands behind each of them. And so it is, with us as well. Those who have gone before us have left us with a wonderful testimony and example, such that it is wise for us to follow them. Nevertheless, it is the Holy Spirit who had made it possible for them, and for us as well. So, let us trust Him, even as they did. Amen.
Forward notes: “Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us” (verse 14).
“The 2019-2020 school year was my twenty-second year of teaching. Over the decades, I have taught students of all ages, through five presidents, and even during an earthquake! Teaching is my calling, my vocation, my love. My students have always been the treasure entrusted in me, and the Holy Spirit is in my classroom.
“I wasn’t prepared to have it taken from me in March of 2020. I had thirty minutes to grab what I needed to possibly teach from home for the rest of the year. It was one of the saddest days of my life.
“What I came to realize throughout those first months of pandemic teaching was that the Holy Spirit continued to live in me, and I was still guarding my treasure. Yes, we had to learn how to be alone. We had to work on time management. We had to get used to cameras and uploading Google documents. I was able to carry on during those first months because my students, my treasure, needed guarding—and God was still with us. Always.”
Moving Forward: “What (or who) are the treasures you guard, with the help of the Holy Spirit?”