1 Timothy 1:2. “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” OWN SON. You are my son, my genuine child; Though not by the ties of nature, Through Christ’s Gospel that I preached, You learned truths the Holy Spirit taught you.
What happens to you is important to me, Our lives are forever entwined. Your evident faith is there for all to see, To not recognize it, one would have to be blind.
I know it was modeled in Lois and Eunice, your mother, Both knew the worth of an impressionable son. They carefully lived before you and each other Personal faith in the One they believed on.
Now God is our Father, both yours and mine, And Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. They will give us the grace to let our lights shine, So, God can use us to tell others His Word.
We are in this together, this greatest of works, That moves nations, and kings, and poor men. We will labor together, doing whatever it takes, To set men free from the bondage of sin.
“Father, I am so thankful for those spiritual children Thou hast given to me who are willing to spend themselves for the furtherance of the Gospel. Give them strength for the day and wisdom to make the right decisions and do the right things. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
THE MENTOR
Paul knew he had the responsibility of an apostle, and all the saints in the assembly at Ephesus still needed care and nurturing, even after he had spent around three years with them. He had experienced God in his life and knew those who followed behind him needed the guidance of God also for themselves. The Lord had prepared this unique servant for years, so he was able to mentor others who were fellow-servants to him - and then to teach others. From the beginning of the church age until this day, those truths must be maintained. Paul was a very religious Hebrew who had studied under Gamaliel, the brightest scholar of his day. Our first introduction to him was when he was seriously opposed to Christianity at the stoning to death of Stephen. His bitterness was deep, and the persecution he initiated was against anything that wasn't Judaism. Until his conversion to Christ, there had not really been an ongoing effort to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. The opposition of some passionate people should not keep us from praying for their salvation and expecting God to do His work of grace in their hearts. Such people may be a powerful force for good in the work of the kingdom of God.
Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit in the early years of his Christian life, Paul had received an understanding of the mystery of the church in a way no one else had. His encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road placed him in the unique position of being the last of the apostles. After the time spent in Arabia, Jerusalem, Tarsus, and then at Antioch, he began with others to open doors all across central Asia and into Europe. The work in Ephesus needed strengthening, and this busy, wise man knew the time had come for Timothy to step out himself and assume responsibility for the work of the Lord. As those who have heard the commission of our Lord to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel," we need to continue on in faith and urgency with the work to which we have been called. People learn more when they are actively involved in a work than they do by studying about a work. Students in university can learn a lot about a subject, without raising a hand to actually do the work for which they are training. A doctor is not qualified to practice medicine just because he has studied the human body. When he/she puts their training to work, they have to spend time as an intern before being free to practice privately. The same is true with any occupation in which we are engaged. Timothy had been with Paul for quite some time. Now he was on his own.
The support of older men for young men is important when they are led to minister to saints in various assemblies and in the work of the Gospel. The lives of believers were changed and challenged by Paul when he took the Gospel to them, and now he was a shepherd caring for the sheep. He needed another shepherd who wasn't a hireling, and Timothy was that man.
The Lord didn't waste Paul's background, citizenship, training, and his great intelligence and sharp mind. God knows who we are and what we are capable of. When we are led by the Spirit of God to a place and a work, we are responsible to do that because we have been empowered by Him. The power of God made a preacher out of a persecutor. He can make us sensitive to His leading and use us to accomplish His will and ways. Paul chose Timothy to come and help in the work of the Lord, even though there was a difference between the Greek father and Eunice, his mother, and Lois, his grandmother. Paul knew how to read character and strengths, and recognized Timothy as a "true child" in the faith. After Paul was let out of prison, he was not able to stay at Ephesus. The work was difficult, and Paul wrote to encourage the man he was mentoring. It is wrong of those who are older to leave young men high and dry on their own without help.
To encourage Timothy and Titus, Paul uses the title, "Savior," to remind them of the One they served. He also used the title, "Our Hope," of the Lord, to give strength to their hearts and remind them of the power of the Gospel message. There was true Christian love between these men. Paul wasn't only committed to the Lord and the Gospel, but also to his fellow-workers. There is a vast difference between a decision to do something and a commitment to a person. Commitment, when all definitions are put together, means turning something over to someone. Yielding, trusting, and placing something at another's disposal without hemming and hawing, a work as important as teaching an assembly is not a light matter. Paul was committed to Timothy. Apathy and complacency have no place in the work of the Lord.
Our good intentions are not enough. They must be translated into actions to get work done. We should never refuse when the Lord guides us to do some act of service for Him. As our Master, we are responsible for obeying Him without question. We should not delay carrying out any work for God and do it diligently with our might and for God's glory. The cost of commitment involves our personal relationships with people that compete with our loyalty to the Lord and our loved ones. My personal desires may have to be set aside to fulfill my commitments. Even our possessions may have to be forfeited to meet our spiritual commitments to our Lord. Amy Carmichael wrote, "The vows of God are upon me. I may not play with shadows or pluck earthly flowers till I have done my work and rendered up an account." Timothy had a work to accomplish, and Paul, his mentor, supported him, encouraged him, and instructed him as to how to fulfill that work in his hand.
Paul affirmed his relationship and began giving spiritual advice in the same way a father instructs his son. He warned him about false teachers and how to defend himself and his faith when under attack. When we have a solid relationship with someone younger, we need to give good counsel and careful guidance. Our support may not seem so seriously needed at first, but then we begin to realize they need our help, whether they know it or not. Any laborer in the field will appreciate the prayer of an older brother who is asking God for grace, mercy, and peace on their behalf. Mentoring involves bearing burdens at times that enable another to handle the weighty problems of leadership.
When one really cares for others, they cannot dismiss With a casual nod, some work gone amiss. He feels in his heart that he is responsible in some way To lend some assistance, or perhaps enter the fray And help to preserve that in which he had a part Because he was in that work right from the start. His knowledge of the work and the worker is quite unique So, a solution and way to help he urgently does seek.
He can't do it all because of his present limitations. He knows those he mentors learn in hard situations How to trust God to do those things that he can't, And that is the answer to the needs in the work he helped plant. To pass on faith to the young is the present and greatest need For the power and present grace of God, he now earnestly pleads. The laborer in the fields in that far and distant place, Will now learn the value and need of God's continuing grace.
When one is alone with a load heavy to bear, There is great value in knowing a mentor does share In the feelings of need and of our limited faith, So, the mentor shows the path of our Lord's leading to trace That suits the present need, so God's truth we can apply And learn by experience, our Lord is always close by To answer and give power, showing the proper solution Both the student and the mentor need to answer their petition.
"Father, when Thy servant learns some younger laborer is in difficulty, please give guidance as to how best to meet the need of that person in that situation. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."