No Half Measures

Timothy was Paul’s right hand man.  He was the one Paul sent to deal with issues in churches.  The church Paul invested the most in was in Ephesus.  Paul sent Timothy there to lead that church.  At the end of his life, Paul wrote two letters to his spiritual son, we have them in our New Testaments, 1 and 2 Timothy.

Reading through 1 Timothy 4 this morning I was struck by a number of things.  First, language of hard labor that Paul uses. In verse 10 Paul uses the terms, labor and strive.  The picture there is clear.  This is not the language of a part time believer.  It is the picture of one who has committed to labor, labor hard.  One who thinks only of finishing the task, the race, well.

Then in verse 15 Paul exhorts his protégé to, “take pains with these things…”  That is not the language of half measures, weekend warriors.  No, this is the language of a pro.  Someone who’s entire focus is to do exceedingly well with “these things”.

Then in the last half of the verse he tells Timothy to be “in” them.  Your Bible probably ads a word like “absorbed” before “in”.  The construction in the original is more subtle and strong.  It is the imperative, the command of the Greek, “to be”.  The command is to be “in” these things, the sense is “all in,” complete and total focus.

Paul does not envision a Christian who is part time.  One who is not all in.  One who does not give his or her all to following hard after the Savior.

But there is more here.  Much more.  I will share some of that tomorrow.