Our son Richard was among the hundreds invited to eyewitness the launch of Atlantis on the last Hubble repair mission yesterday. He was four miles from the launch site while Carol’s cousin’s husband, Colonel Mike Good, Mission Specialist-1, was on his first flight.
About an hour after the launch, Richard called with a report. I asked if he feel the ground shake. “Yes,” he said. “The noise was like having your head stuck up the tail pipe of a loud motorcycle."
Here’s today’s 1Timothy sentence: This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. (1 Ti 1:18-19)
For a good explanation for the “prophecies” Paul speaks of see the NASB and NIV Study Bible (Zondervan).
What’s the command? It's the one command stated so far in the letter. Paul has digressed but now returns to his instruction to Timothy to “stay in ministry” (1:3), preach and teach. He goes on to say that following this command Timothy will fight the good fight (or war a good warfare, KJV). The way Paul’s written this, fighting the good fight results in keeping faith and keeping a good conscience. To do otherwise, Paul states, is to reject a good conscience and ruin one’s faith.
In my preaching I’m doing John 17 which I subtitle “Glory to the Father.” You bring glory to the Father best when you do the mission God has for you. The mission is different for everyone. We have similar commands to obey, go, spread the Gospel, etc., but different ways of doing those since God created each of us differently. How I bring glory to God will be different from how you accomplish the same thing.
What does God have in store for you today? Discover it. Be faithful to do it. The result will be a strong faith and a good conscience.
Pressing on, Ed ><}}}>
No comments:
Post a Comment