“I’m scared of storms,” Amelia admitted, her little brow furrowed. I was pushing her high, the way she’d asked, in the rocket swing in the garage because the rain was finally coming down in sheets and thunder was beginning to sound in the distance. We’ve all been praying for the forecasted rain to squelch the recent wildfires. Initially, gentle sprinkles seemed to be all we would get. Today we’ve had not one but two heavy saturating rainstorms. This one started just as Amelia’s mom had decided it was time for them to head home but there were goodies baking in the oven so I convinced them to stay and wait out the storm.
In between thunder claps, sensing her unease, I replied to Amelia, “Lolly loves storms! Do you know why? Because the lightning and thunder is so big, it reminds me that God is even bigger! He’s bigger than the storm, and He tells it what to do! The Bible says He has a big house full of lightning. He opens the doors and lets it out sometimes and he shuts the door too and tells it when to stop. God is so much bigger than the storm!” (Psalm 135:6-7)
“I like storms too!” she echoed, just before another thunder boom sounded. Her little face froze and she repeated, “I’m scared of storms.” Aren’t we all a little like that in our faith at times? We know what God’s Word says. We hear encouraging messages to remind us yet when the moment comes and the ground starts shaking- call it whatever you like- doubt and fear creep in faster than lightning.
Timothy was young when he first encountered the apostle Paul, yet he already had a good reputation among the believers in his hometown. (Acts 16:1-2) Paul invited Timothy to accompany him on a missionary journey. “As they traveled from town to town, they presented the simple guidelines the Jerusalem apostles and leaders had come up with. That turned out to be most helpful. Day after day the congregations became stronger in faith and larger in size.” (Acts 16:4-5) Eventually Paul left young Timothy among fledgling churches to teach them in his absence. We find his instructions in two letters written by the apostle to his young protégé in his name in our New Testament, titled first and second Timothy.
Though the letters are from Paul to Timothy, his instruction can be read as to us from our Teacher, Jesus. Every believer is bound by Christ’s Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15) Paul’s teaching to Timothy becomes a how-to manual of sorts for anyone in Christian ministry, especially leadership, but none of us is excused from acknowledging Christ before our fellows, from making disciples, or from teaching them to obey God’s commands. (Matthew 10:32, 28:19-20)
“So until I come, be diligent in devouring the Word of God, be faithful in prayer, and in teaching the believers.
Make all of this your constant meditation and make it real with your life so everyone can see that you are moving forward.
Give careful attention to your spiritual life and every cherished truth you teach, for living what you preach will release salvation inside you and to all those who listen to you.”
1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1ti.4.13-16.TPT
One way to back up your faith, or to ensure your walk matches your talk when you say that you are a Christian is to allow others to see you progress. The best way I’ve found to grow in my faith is by devouring God’s Word. Teaching is my spiritual gift but long before I recognized that fact, or rather before it was pointed out to me by several Christian mentors, I recognized that by repeating what I was studying, by simply sharing what God was teaching me at any given moment, my faith was growing. Repetition is a great way to ensure I don’t forget something important and there is, quite frankly, nothing more important than God’s Word.
Timothy was a young man with a good reputation among the local believers but those to whom Paul introduced him during his missionary journeys did not have the benefit of familiarity with the sincere faith of his mother or his grandmother, Lois and Eunice. (II Timothy 1:5) Some among them must have tried to pressure Timothy in Paul’s absence for Paul to address Timothy’s youth as he does.
“Paul writes, “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 other words, if you are a young believer, not least a young believer in a position of leadership like Timothy, the way to stop others from looking down on you is to set such an example—“in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity”—that your transparent godliness silences them.” (I Timothy 4:12)
Read the Bible: 2 Kings 7, 1 Timothy 4, Daniel 11, and Psalm 119:25–48
Paul continues, “Don’t minimize the powerful gift that operates in your life, for it was imparted to you by the laying on of hands of the elders and was activated through the prophecy they spoke over you.”
1 Timothy 4:14 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1ti.4.14.TPT
Timothy had been ordained, set apart for ministry, by a council of godly men who validated his call which can only come from God. Paul reminding him of this fact mainly served to show Timothy that others besides Paul clearly recognized the Spirit of God at work in his life. The powerful gift was the same for Timothy as it is for you and me- God’s indwelling Spirit. We must never minimize the power of God in our lives.
“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you.
I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.
This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.
God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”
Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.1.23.NLT
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children.
We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.
As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Ephesians 4:11-16, 23-24 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.4.11-24.NLT
I honestly don’t remember ever being afraid of a storm, after all, I’ve slept through more than one hurricane in my lifetime. If I had to guess why, I’d have to credit my daddy. We had a large screened porch on the back of the house I most remember growing up in. It was deep enough to allow in mist but not soaking rain during a storm. There was a wooden porch swing, a table with chairs, and a couple of long brick steps leading down from the house. My dad spent many a stormy night sitting with Jesus on that porch. I know because he told me how he felt God’s presence in the wind and the rain, and how he saw God’s power in the thunder and lightning. I know too because my mom guarded this time with Jesus by keeping us kids inside, saying, “Daddy’s talking to Jesus, or Daddy’s studying to teach his Sunday school lesson.”
Amelia wasn’t convinced today by my reassurance that God’s power was on display in the storm but she’s only two and a half. Lord-willing, she’ll see me walking and talking with Jesus often in our times together. Maybe, just maybe one day, she’ll teach her kids not to be afraid of the storm because God is so much bigger too! In another month, we’ll spend a week together at the beach and I’ll get to tell her how God commands the proud waves of the ocean to come this far and no farther. (Job 38:11)
“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
1 Timothy 4:10 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1ti.4.10.ESV
“Faithful is the Word, and everyone should accept Him!”
1 Timothy 4:8-9 TPT
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