Remember that Paul considered Timothy his son in the faith. It was he that brought the Gospel to Timothy and introduced him to Jesus. And now, as Paul is in prison and unsure of his future, he has some final words of advice. Since he is in prison because of his faith, foremost in his…
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After David left the Philistines, they went to Ziklag, where he had recruited the 600 men who went with him and supported him. And the Philistines destroyed the city, and carried off all the people. When David and his men got to Ziklag and found what had happened, they were devastated. And many of his…
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In chapter 14, Job talks about the frailty of man, the short time that he is here on Earth, and the fact that once he is gone, he’ll not return. He ends with the idea that once we are gone, we’ll not even know what becomes of our children. As a parent, I pray for…
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Paul’s advice to Timothy on how to deal with different age groups is very good. I have known of young pastors who went counter to this advice, very much to the detriment of their ministry. When a young so-called leader does not properly honor the more senior members, feelings are hurt and it is very…
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Saul seldom fails to the wrong thing, does he? He is terrified at the prospect of fighting the Philistines, who have gathered an army to fight Israel. Had Saul been willing to turn to God, had he truly repented of his previous sinful actions, he wouldn’t be facing the Philistines here and now, and God…
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Paul has good advice for Timothy on pastoring a church. One of the most important parts of being an effective pastor is having a godly support team. Different churches have different names for them, but in the translation we’re using, the words bishop and deacon are used. Their functions and qualifications differ, but the bottom…
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Once more, David passes on an opportunity to take out Saul, because David refuses to touch God’s anointed, even though he knows that Saul is unjustly after his blood. David knows that God has promised to give the throne to him, and he won’t force the issue by taking matters into his own hands. Have…
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Some background might be in order before we start 1 Timothy. Up to this point, Paul’s letters have been directed at specific churches. Beginning now with 1 Timothy, Paul’s letters are now directed at individuals. There are two letters to Timothy, a letter to Titus, and one to Philemon. Like Paul, Timothy and Titus were…
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I’m pretty sure that if Bildad was my friend, that friendship would’ve ended with this speech of his. He starts off by saying, in essence, “Are you through yet? You are talking nonsense.” Granted, I’m not in Job’s position right now, but I was, to a lesser extent a couple years ago. I’ll get to…
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Did you notice what happened with the Doeg situation? David is running from Saul, and he goes to the priest Ahimilech, because this is where the Tabernacle now is, since Shiloh has been deserted. David wants to get a word from God. Ahimilech asks David why he’s there, and David lies to him. He tells…
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