Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Timothy ~ Abundant Life ~ Praise Journal

A little trivia about Timothy....

In 1st Timothy 1:2, Paul referred to Timothy as a 'true son in the faith.' In 2nd Timothy 1:2, Paul calls him a beloved son. There is no doubt that Paul thought highly of a very young Timothy.


As Paul planted churches around the Mediterranean and converted thousands to Christianity, he realized he needed a trustworthy person to carry on after he died. He chose the zealous young disciple Timothy.

Timothy means "honoring God."

Timothy was the product of a mixed marriage. His Greek (Gentile) father is not mentioned by name. Eunice, his Jewish mother, and his grandmother Lois taught him the Scriptures from the time he was a young boy.

Timothy acted as Paul's scribe and co-author of the books of  2 Corinthians, Philippians,
 Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. He accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, and when Paul was in prison, Timothy represented Paul at Corinth and Philippi. For a time, Timothy was also imprisoned for the faith. He converted untold people to the Christian faith.

Despite his young age, Timothy was respected by fellow believers. Well-grounded in Paul's teachings, Timothy was a reliable evangelist skilled at presenting the gospel.

Church tradition holds that after Paul's death, Timothy served as bishop of the church at Ephesus,
a seaport on the west coast of Asia Minor, until A.D. 97. At that time a group of pagans were celebrating the feast of Catagogion, a festival in which they carried images of their gods about the streets. Timothy met and scolded them for their idolatry. They beat him with clubs, and he died two days later.

From my Praise Journal

....And a little talk about an abundant life.

Some believers live a life that is like a dwindling, trickling little stream that barely gives evidence of its existence. Others live a life that is overflowing with the spiritual blessings of the redeemed:


Joy, Peace and Hope.

When Jesus was here on this earth, He said that He came to give us “abundant life”,  This is a life that is overflowing with all the blessings of the Spirit of God.
 
Some examples of this kind of living are the Apostles of our Lord. Before they were filled with the Spirit, they were prone to failures, petty jealousy and other sins of the flesh. However, after Pentecost, they were changed men! They were filled with power and joy. Even in the darkest hours, they were able to rest in their faith in the Lord, These were men who had joy in spite of persecution. They lived a life of overflowing spiritual blessings. 

This is a life that is available to every single one of God’s children.

Many of us are just like the disciples. There was Simon Peter the loudmouth, James and John the hot heads, Thomas the skeptic and Nathaniel the pessimist. They were all full of themselves and living anything but an abundant life.  At Pentecost, when they received by faith that which Jesus had for them they were forever changed. They each received a life that clearly bubbled over with power, authority and glory.

How do they get it? By faith!

Joy, Peace and Hope, that's what all men are seeking. So many have exhausted fortunes, and spent countless years seeking these things. But, they cannot be bought. They can only be found in Jesus. He is the true source. Joy, Peace and Hope are the personal possession of every person who has the abundant Christian life.

     We obtain the abundant Christian life by faith in God and by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.


~ Just Believe ~


The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

Today's Inspiration From:
sermonnotes.org

Until Next Time,
Wishing you an abundant life
through our Lord, Jesus Christ.







8 comments:

  1. Oh I enjoyed this post. I am lucky to be married to a faith-filled Timothy myself.

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  2. Good post Mary ,I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes our 'little' faith hinders our spiritual growth by not allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us. Thanks for sharing this with us.

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  3. This is awesome. So often we focus on the negative instead of our many blessings.....okay, I'm talking about myself. And, I have some of those same issues that the disciples had. 😕 Uh-oh.....time for a spiritual check-up.

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  4. We are so blessed by His Grace & Mercy! Thanks (always) for the reminders!!

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  5. Ohhhh Mary, how awesome this post is...thank you sweet friend. smiles

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  6. A big Amen to all that. I didn't know that about Timothy's death. He remained steadfast to the end, just as Paul had exhorted him to. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Wonderful post Miss Mary. I've always loved Timothy and his story. We all have a story don't we? I am so thankful that Paul stood with him and encouraged him as well. We all need encouragement. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  8. Thank you for sharing these thoughts about Timothy. I've always enjoyed reading from Timothy...when I was a young (and somewhat green) pastor's wife, Paul's admonition to Timothy in I Tim. 4:12 was a good reminder: "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." It seemed as though we mostly served in churches with much older people, and I felt very young and inadequate...but this was an encouragement to me. Thank you for reminding me of this. Still good advice.

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