Five-minute version. Two-minute version
James was a timid child, a timid teenager, and a timid adult. Timidity was part of his personality. But it held him back in life. He never made trouble but he never took any risks either. His timidity prevented him from trying out for sports he loved. It held him back from asking girls he liked for a date. It also hindered his faith.
- He never opposed evil
- He never fought for the truth
- He often used love as an excuse for inaction.
Maybe you can identify with James. Timidity is holding you back. It’s hindering you in different areas of life.
As we’ll see in this new Living the Bible series on 1 Timothy, the Timothy of the Bible also had a problem with timidity. The Apostle Paul wrote to en-courage him, to put courage in him.
Let’s use this letter to timid Timothy to encourage ourselves, to put courage in ourselves. We start today with with 1 Timothy 1v1-5.
WE MUST FIGHT FALSEHOOD
- Oppose novel teaching (3b)
- Oppose divisive speculations (4a)
If we don’t fight against anything, we won’t have anything left to fight for.
That’s what we fight against. What do we fight for?
WE MUST FIGHT FOR GOD’S ORDER
- Order is from God (4b)
- Order is by truth (4c)
Fighting usually produces chaos, but this fighting produces order.
That sounds like a lot of fighting. It doesn’t sound very loving.
WE MUST FIGHT FOR LOVE
- A pure heart produces love (5a)
- A good conscience produces love (5b)
- A sincere faith produces love (5c)
Fight because you love, and you’ll love because you fought.
LIVING THE BIBLE
Christ was the greatest fighter and the greatest lover. He fought because he loved and loved because he fought. He fought against falsehood. He fought for God’s order. He fought for love. He had a perfectly pure heart, a perfectly good conscience, and a perfectly sincere faith. He therefore had perfect love.
Fight against falsehood and for God’s order to maximize love.
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