Paul tells Timothy to proclaim the word
Bible Accent: The Bible is a collection
Saint for Today: St. Theuderius
Paul tells Timothy to proclaim the word
Paul had been thinking about his friend, Timothy, and sat down to write him a letter. “Timothy, my dear child,” Paul wrote, “grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord … I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives in you.”
Paul wished he could talk to Timothy face to face. There were so many things he wanted to tell him about, warn him about. A Christian can face many difficulties trying to follow God’s commandments, and Paul did not want Timothy to be discouraged.
“Proclaim the word,” Paul continued in his letter, “be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.” Paul spoke out loud as he wrote, as if he were speaking directly to Timothy. “But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry … the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the first judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”
In spite of how much he wanted to encourage Timothy, Paul, himself felt alone. Most of his traveling companions have gone on to other places. Demas went to Thessalonica, Crescens went to Galatia, Titus went to Dalmatia and Tychicus, at Paul’s request, went to Ephesus. Only Luke remained with Paul. “Try to join me soon,” Paul invited his friend. “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry . … When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.” Paul closed his letter saying that, in spite of all the hardships and treachery Paul had experienced, God had protected him. “At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. … But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
2 Timothy 4
Q&A
1. What did Paul want Timothy to do with “the word?”
2. What did the Lord do for Paul?
Bible Accent: The Bible is a collection
The Bible is a collection of biographies, historical documents, poems and letters that tell the story of our Christian heritage and beliefs. God inspired the writers, and scholars have assembled the writings into a book that is easy to refer to. Each book has a title, but it is broken down further into chapter and verse numbers. These numbers are only there to help us find Bible passages. For example, John 3:16 means the Book of John, Chapter 3, verse 16. Without these reference numbers, we would have a very hard time finding what we are looking for in the Bible.
The collection of books that tell about the time from creation to before Jesus was born in called the Old Testament. The New Testament opens with the birth of Christ and ends with Revelation, a book that prophesies about the return of Jesus for his kingdom. We should read from our Bible and pray every day.
Saint for Today: St. Theuderius
Theuderius (d. 575) was a monk from France who was ordained a priest. He and several of his disciples chose to lead quiet but religious lives where they had time to pray and meditate. At first they lived in very plain cells, but eventually they built a monastery near the city of Vienne. A custom that had been followed for a long time was for the people to choose a monk who would live a life of solitude. This was considered a great honor, in spite of the sacrifice required. Theuderius was asked to make this commitment, and he did so gladly. God also blessed the monk with a gift of miracles, which only caused his reputation as a holy man of God to spread throughout his country. We honor him on Oct. 29
