1 Timothy 4:6-10

Summary retelling of 1 Timothy 4:6-10

Paul tells Timothy to be sure to teach these doctrines to the whole church so that he can fulfill his duty as being a good servant in Jesus Christ.  Paul reminds Timothy that these are words in which he was trained and which he personally has followed.  Paul cautions Timothy to have nothing to do with teachings in the church that do not promote God and simply make us feel good.  Rather, we are to embark upon the path to godliness since godliness is useful here in this life as well as in the life to come.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul encourages Timothy to teach doctrine to the church.  He tells him to be sure to warn God’s people about false doctrines and false agendas in life.  Warren Wiersbe has a great analogy that I love to use with respect to spiritual leadership.  Warren says that as we drive down any road we see two kinds of signs.  We see signs that tell us where we are with respect to where we are headed (10 miles to Atlanta, Welcome to South Carolina, etc).  We also see signs that warn us about imminent dangers ahead (steep grade, reduce speed, tight corner, merge left, etc).  Just as we need to know where we are and what pitfalls lay ahead as we are driving down the road, we need to know those things as we live our life, too.  This is the job of spiritual leadership.  It is difficult to warn people that they have chosen a poor path in life, but in the end it is necessary for that warning sign to be put up in their life!

Do you like to tell people that they might be doing something wrong in their life?  Do you know anyone in your life right now that is making choices which are going to steer them away from God?  How can you go about helping them understand the pitfalls of their choices without driving them away from God?  What connection is their between this point and the need to have a spiritual relationship with people?

Second Thought:

Paul tells Timothy to be careful about getting involved in activities or beliefs that don’t actually have anything to do with Jesus Christ.  People have all kinds of mental “crutches” in which we believe but they simply just aren’t true.  How many times at a funeral have you heard someone say, “He was such a good man” or even “God must’ve wanted another angel?”  How many times have you heard someone say, “God helps those who help themselves?”  How many times do we think that if we can just make people feel good then they’ll come to church?  Paul encourages Timothy to let these kinds of thinking go.  God’s truth is what people need in their life.  We need to focus on living out God’s truth and applying that truth to every decision that we make.  It is God who makes a difference in people’s lives; we should do anything and everything to focus on incorporating God as often as possible.

Why do you think we develop mental and theological crutches in which we believe?  Why is it so hard to focus on what God’s Word actually says?  How is this topic related to our God’s Word being an authority in our life? 

Third Thought:

Paul tells Timothy the secret to godliness: It’s useful everywhere.  Godliness helps us in this life.  Godliness helps us in the life to come.  Godliness is a topic of life study that will never disappoint.  Honestly, when have you ever once heard a devoted person of faith say something like, “I wish I hadn’t spent so much time drawing close to God!”  You never hear that because drawing closer to God is always fruitful and productive.  However, so often we end up pursuing the things and ways of this world – which are only useful in this life and not in the life to come.

With respect to eternal life, why could you consider humanity short-sighted?  Why do you think so many people have a “focus on the moment” mentality?  Why do so many people seem to struggle with having a perspective of living for the eternal?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Timothy 4:11-13