Monday 1st January
Read Philippians 2:20-22; 1 Corinthians 4:16-17
“I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”
“Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.”
It is easy to consider the Bible as simply a series of texts that we need to work through to understand how to have our own relationship with God, but what we actually have are letters that tell us how to relate to each other in a way that honours God. As we embark on a journey through Paul’s last letter, and the second letter we have to Timothy, it is worth remembering just how close and personal their relationship was.
Timothy was unique. As Paul is near martyrdom and chained in a Roman jail, he pens this last missive to the person he trusts most to continue his ministry and guard the gospel for the next generation. Timothy displayed the true Christian characteristics of considering others better than himself and guarding the truth of the gospel faithfully. Paul considered him a son and was so confident in Timothy that he could send him to Corinth to remind them of the way he, Paul, lived! If the Catholic church considers itself led by one in the line of Peter, pope after pope, back to the very beginning, then, if Paul had a similar ‘line’, the first in that line would be Timothy.
Do you have such a relationship in your life? Pray for them now if you do.
