Two posts ago, I shared with you that I was embarking upon a study of 1 Timothy. I invited you to take the journey along with me, and some of you may be doing that very thing. Just finished up the first two weeks of the study, and this coming week we will be on week three. An amazing teacher of the Holy Scripts that Paul is! I loved having the opportunity to sit under his teaching and leadership this week. So much to glean, so much to strive for, so much to motivate us. That we would continue wholeheartedly after the pursuit of faith and godliness in our day to day living as women. That we might not just profess to be women who love the Word of God, but that it might be evident in our decision-making, in our attitudes, in our interactions with both loved ones and enemies, in our joys and in our sorrows. And on that note, I just have to share a sweet little story with you ...
I was talking to one of my best friends on the phone the other day and she was sharing with me that there is one particular "love language" that her husband has just not mastered. She said, "Heather, in the past _ years of marriage, we have not gotten very far in that department. But you know what?? We have the next 60 years to work it out!"
Praise the Lord that we are works in progress. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us of that very idea when Paul says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We are His workmanship - He's working each and every one of us out until we become His personal masterpiece. No need for being an all-out overnight success (though sometimes He will tackle areas of our lives like that, praise God!). A life in pursuit of faith and godliness just requires a pliable, sensitive, and discerning heart - Tender enough to sense God's leading and instructing. And when we study Scripture, we must approach it with that very mindset. Trusting God to lead us and instruct us through His Word ... allowing our hearts to be pliable, sensitive and discerning to hear Him speak to us, to change us ... One day at a time.
I have had several Take-Aways from my 2-week study of 1 Timothy. I thought I would post my personal highlights ... those that have had a little extra challenge or encouragement for me.
Week One Take-Away #1: "The Gospel is for sinners."
1 Timothy 1:8-11 - "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We know that the law is made not for the righteous but for the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me."
The Message version of this particular passage reads: "It's true that moral counsel and guidance need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It's obvious, isn't it, that the law code isn't primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are contemptuous of this great Message I've been put in charge of by this great God."
As Believers, I think we often times run from sin so much that we forget the Gospel is for the very purpose of setting sinners free. How will we ever be effective in our evangelism if we are paralyzed with a fear of the sinner? I love what Paul says in 1 Corinthians: "But by the grace of God I am what I am ..." (1 Cor. 15:10). It is by the GRACE OF GOD that any of us are not what we could be, or used to be. We are misusing Scripture - watering and dumbing it down - if we fail to utilize the Gospel as the main ingredient for saving the sinner's soul. Let us not forget the elementary and profound truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection ... "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). That not one shall perish ... Not one sinner on the face of the planet. Not even that one that you think is too far gone ...
Week One Take-Away #2: "It's a fight worth fighting."
1 Timothy 1:18 - "Fight the good fight."
Enough said.
Week One Take-Away #3: "Be Quiet ... Even when you don't feel like it."
1 Timothy 2:2 - "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
1 Timothy 2:11 - "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission."
I keep going back to The Message just because I love reading the paraphrase of the New Testament. I believe it lends such personal application to our modern-day living. The Message Version of 1 Timothy 2:11 reads, "I don't let women take over and tell the men what to do."
This Take-Away was especially personal to me in this current season of life ... Becoming a wife. I am reading For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. Great resource for understanding the intricacies of the man's make-up - his need for respect, for leadership, for the support of a woman. Read more about it at Shaunti's website.
A word of advice that I gleaned from the book, as well as (Hello!) the Bible, is to be quiet once in a while. Now, contextually 1 Timothy 2:11 is specifically referring to teaching in the church: "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission." But seriously y'all ... Would it kill us to just be quiet sometimes? Responding instead of reacting. A good concept to ... learn.
Week Two Take-Away #1: "Set an example."
1 Timothy 4:12 - "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."
In speech. In life. In love. In faith. In purity.
Week Two Take-Away # 2: "Keep at it."
1 Timothy 4:16 - "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."
Do not be diverted. Stay the course. Keep at it. Hold tightly to your faith, to your character, staying grounded in the Lord.
And that, sisters, is a good point to close out on. Stay grounded in the Lord. Cling to the Word of Life. Love to you all. Enjoy your third week of studying 1 Timothy. 4 more Take-Aways ahead of us!
Keeping at it,
Heather
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