The Epic Continues: Part 7
How the forces of darkness must have shuddered when they heard the news that Jesus had risen from the dead! The Epic Continues.
Read MoreHe never taught in a classroom, but he was one of the best teachers I’ve ever known. An actuary by profession, he excelled at asking questions, and to my great frustration as a teenager, he directed his questions at me. I would eventually paint myself into a corner of my own contradictions. He wouldn’t say, “Ha! There’s a gap in your logic!” Instead, he would respond, “Think about it because the two things you said can’t go together. God will guide you as you decide which one is true.” That man had a huge influence in my life. He was my dad.
In my last post, we looked at the apostle Paul’s last letter to Timothy, his son in the faith and a young pastor. He affirms Timothy’s life as a godly one and, in 2 Timothy 3, lists all the ways that Timothy has learned from him:
Paul encourages Timothy to keep applying what he has learned. His young friend has had a great start, but he must finish strong too.
Timothy’s (Other) Teachers
Paul urged Timothy to remember his childhood education. His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice taught him the faith, which led to his salvation.
Scripture doesn’t mention his father and grandfather, but we know that these two women faithfully poured into the life of young Timothy. Before there were governments, schools, or churches, God designed the family as the greatest place of influence.
Your Rushmore
When I was eight, my family visited Mount Rushmore one summer. I remember sitting on a rock, and the heat from it burned the back of my legs. The giant sculpture was amazing.
Its purpose is to memorialize, in granite, four people with key roles in our country’s history. George Washington represents our nation’s birth; Thomas Jefferson, its growth; Theodore Roosevelt, its development; and Abraham Lincoln, its preservation.
Now, I have a couple of questions for you.
I found this to be a big challenge. After starting out with eight people, I finally cut it down to four.
If yours are still living, take time to tell them what they mean to you. Make a call, write a note, send an email. If they’re no longer living, journal about it. Write down for yourself what they meant to you and what they taught you.
Write those names down. Think of the future carving and chiseling that’s yet to be done in that person’s life.
And if your children aren’t interested in the faith, remember that the last chapter of their story hasn’t been written yet. Don’t give up on them.
Pour It Out
How did we originally get God’s Word? He poured it through people, and He still does. A tiny minority of them stand behind a pulpit. The vast majority have quiet but enduring impact in businesses, schools, neighborhoods, and most of all, in homes.
It’s been said that values are more caught than taught, and that’s true for Timothy and for us.
Let’s celebrate those who spoke into our lives and ask God to show us whose lives we can pour into. He can use us, like Paul, Lois, and Eunice, to teach the young Timothys around us.
How the forces of darkness must have shuddered when they heard the news that Jesus had risen from the dead! The Epic Continues.
Read MoreIt must have been shocking for the great exchange, the King with ultimate authority to be beaten, tortured, spit on, and slapped by the very people He created– the very people He came to save.
Read MoreJoin us for Holy Week 2024! Together, we will look at the events of the last week of Jesus’ life, from shouts of “Hosanna!” to “Crucify Him!”; from the Last Supper to the trial; from the wonder of the cross, to His glorious resurrection and ascension.
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