Verse of the Day 10/23

Through the Bible - Jeremiah 12-13, 1 Timothy 6

 

Good morning,

In the book of 1 Timothy the apostle Paul has been teaching the basics to this young pastor Timothy.  Basically, he has been telling him to preserve, to pass on the Christian faith by teaching sound doctrine and being an example in right living.  He had to take a stand against the "false teachers" of his day who were trying to lead the church down the wrong path, a path which woulld actually lead away from God.

 

We too must know the truth and defend it.  And the truth is that God came to save us, from our sins and from ourselves and from those who would twist the words of the Bible for their own purposes their own gain.

J. R. Miller writes,"Many people only half read their Bibles. They skim the surface, and fail to get the full, deep meaning of the golden words. They get but half-truths, and half-truths ofttimes are misleading. Even inspired sentences standing alone, do not always give the full and final word on the doctrine or the duty which they present. Frequently it is necessary to bring other inspired sentences, and set them side by side with the first, in order to get the truth in its full-rounded completeness. "

 

We need to know the Bible, the gospel in it's " full rounded completeness " so that we will know when someone is twisting the message.

Today's verses conclude this first letter to Timothy and focus on this message.

1 Tim 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge —  21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.   NKJV
or from the NLT

1 Tim 6:20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.

The NLT calls these "babblings" of the false teachers "godless, foolisht discussions".  What do you think some of them are?  The prosperity gospel would be one.  Take a look at some of the other verses in this final chapter.

 

1 Tim 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.   NKJV

1 Tim 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.  NLT

 

1 Tim 6:11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith.  NLT

1 Tim 6:17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.  NLT

 

There is a commercial that you may have seen on TV recently, the salesman stands and tells us that "the dollar is unrealiable", that we should invest in gold.  He's got it half right.  The dollar is unreliable, but the gold that we are to invest in isn't a precious metal.  It is the gold that comes from leading a godly life with contentment, a life that has been secured by the precious blood of Christ.

In closing, going back to verse 10, money can be useful, but it is the love of money, of things, that is the root of evil.  A key factor in knowiing where you stand in regards to what you have is your contentment in verse 6.

 

What have you been taught?  What are you teaching to the next generation in doctrine and in actions? 

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

1 Tim 6:11-21

 

Paul's Final Instructions

 

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 13 And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 15 For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 16 He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.

 

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

 

20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.

 

May God's grace be with you all.  NLT