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2 Timothy 1:6a – Draw Near

a man blows on a fire to get it going (Grok)

For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God…

Summary: The ‘gift of God’ is like any other gift in that it tends to gather dust if we don’t use it.   

For this series of meditations, we are using the World English Bible translation (WEB). It is a public domain translation which is easy to read and understand. In many ways, it is very similar to the NIV translation we have generally used. However, in this case, there is a subtle difference. The NIV translates the same passage this way: 

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…” (NIV)

Notice the difference; instead of “stir up” the gift of God, the NIV says “fan into flame.” Both examples convey the same idea. 

Picture a large glass beaker full of water; at the bottom of the beaker is about an inch of sand and silt. You put a large spoon in the beaker and stir. 

What happens? 

In a fireplace in the same room, there are the remnants of a fire. Three charred pieces of wood lay on the grate. You put your hand near and sense that the wood is still warm. Somewhere inside, there is a slight crackling sound, and deep in the wood there is the faint glow of an ember. You blow gently on the ember over and over again. 

In both cases, there is a change. In each case the change looks different, but there is something similar about them, too. 

What happens? 

When we stir up the water, everything that had settled to the bottom becomes active again. When we blow on the ember, the fire that had become dormant bursts into flame again. Perhaps a good word for what the two examples have in common is “reactivate.” 

How is the “gift of God” similar? 

If we don’t pay attention to it, the gift can become dormant. Like silt and sand, it settles to the bottom. Like a fire, it dies down to a glowing ember. The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Perhaps that is how we “stir up” the gift of God by drawing near. 

Application: Stay close to Jesus.  

Food for Thought: What are some specific ways we can “stir up” the gift of God?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments. Quotes are from the World English Bible (Public Domain) unless otherwise noted.

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2 Timothy 1:5 – The Nature of Faith

Timothy as a young boy listening to his mother read Scripture. (Grok)

…having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.

Summary: Timothy’s faith has roots. In this meditation we explore where they go.   

This passage offers a wonderful opportunity to discuss the nature of faith. 

Timothy wasn’t raised as a Christian. He was likely born after Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. News of Christ’s resurrection spread, but not immediately. Certain things had to happen first. 

One of those things was Paul’s conversion. Before that, Paul was busy tracking down Christians and throwing them in jail. So, a certain amount of time passed between Jesus’ resurrection and Paul’s conversion. Then, of course, Paul did not immediately start on his first missionary journey. That didn’t happen until about ten years after his conversion. Only then was the Gospel story preached in Lystra and Derbe. 

This is when Lois and possibly Eunice would have first heard the Gospel. 

Eunice and her mother were Jewish. Eunice married a Greek who was the father of Timothy. Timothy’s family, then, was half Jewish and half Gentile, yet the faith of Lois and Eunice took root and grew in Timothy, too. Paul writes that Timothy was raised with the Scriptures from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15). 

Two or three years after his first missionary journey, Paul is back in Derbe and Lystra, “and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1). 

Timothy wasn’t new to the Scriptures or the idea of faith in God. More than a passive faith, his upbringing provided him with two living models of faith—his mother and grandmother. Both, no doubt, had a strong influence on the young man. Added to this was his training in the Scriptures. There was no “New Testament” in those days, but the principles of godly living are clearly laid out in the Scriptures, and Timothy knew them well. 

When his mother and grandmother accepted the news that the Messiah had come and been raised from the dead, they believed. Eventually, Timothy believed, too. 

So what can we learn about the nature of faith from this family? One thing is that they encouraged each other’s faith. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Another thing is that their faith is based on a knowledge of God’s Word. Finally, Paul noted that the “brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him” (Acts 16:2). Timothy’s faith was seen in his words and actions. 

Application: Faith is built with Scripture, fellowship, and action. 

Food for Thought: How does Timothy’s story illustrate the word “discipleship?” 

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments. Quotes are from the World English Bible (Public Domain) unless otherwise noted.

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2 Timothy 1:3b-4 – Unceasing Petitions

A street full of petitioners, carrying candles and pictures of Christ (Grok)

How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; 

Summary: Paul’s words to Timothy provide a glimpse into God’s love for each of us.   

Our God is a passionate God and is one who loves us deeply. His apostle, Paul, is also passionate, and he also loves deeply. This is obvious in the words Paul wrote to express his love and concern for Timothy. 

In one sense, this is a deeply personal passage. It is so personal that even now, hundreds of years later, it is almost embarrassing to read. Clearly, Paul has a deep affection for Timothy as a son. 

In another sense, this passage reflects the way that Jesus feels about each of us, individually. 

Do you think I exaggerate? 

“Unceasing is my memory…”

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7, NIV)

“…of you in my petitions…”

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)

“…night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy…”

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:22-23)

There are a lot of distractions in life. It is easy to forget and lose sight of what is important. Friends come and go, family moves away, and it becomes harder to stay in contact. 

None of that distracts Paul from his focus on Timothy. He is constantly mindful of the challenges Timothy faces and the work that is always before him. Paul is only human. He can’t be in two places at one time. 

But God can. 

We can rely on God to look after those we love, just as Paul does when he prays unceasingly for Timothy. Just as Jesus prays for us. 

Application: Love as God loves us.  

Food for Thought: If God cares deeply for us, why doesn’t he remove all the pain and frustration in our lives? 

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2 Timothy 1:3a – Pure Paul

Picture of a gold bar marked "99.99% PURE" (GROK)

 I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. 

Summary: Paul’s words at this point in his letter are doing important work.   

I like this passage because it shows us something important about Paul. 

“I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did…” 

How did Paul’s forefathers serve God? Didn’t they serve God the way Paul did before he met Jesus? 

Paul’s service to God was, I am convinced, devoted to the Lord in every way. Even when he was chasing down Christians, he believed that getting rid of these upstart Christians was doing God’s will. When he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, it didn’t change who Paul was—it changed his understanding of who God was. 

Even before his conversion, when Paul served God, he was serving faithfully. He was not serving half-heartedly. He did not have a secret compartment in his heart where he harbored ungodly thoughts. Paul’s family had served faithfully, without reservation. 

This is who Paul is. But why is he making this statement here, at this point in his letter?

I am only guessing, but I think it is fair to speculate that this is a description of who Timothy is too. 

People who stand for God often feel like they are standing alone. Many of the people Paul would have considered his ‘own people,’ before his conversion, were seeking his life just as passionately as he had tried to eradicate Christians himself. 

When the people in your world turn against you, it is a lonely feeling. 

Yet, when a person finds themselves standing alone because of their faith in God and their commitment to his Word, they are not really alone. 

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

Perhaps the reason Paul is declaring his faithfulness to the Lord is to assure Timothy that he, too, is not alone. As lonely as his role is, as difficult as the job is, there is no higher calling than to serve God with a clear conscience. 

Application: Serve God continually and in good faith.  

Food for Thought: How does our testimony impact others like us as compared to those who are not like us but want to be?

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2 Timothy 1:2c – One God

A young man is looking up from his Bible with a puzzled look on his face. (Grok)

…from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Summary: Paul’s use of both the Father and the Son point us to an enduring truth. 

When Paul gifts Timothy with “grace, mercy, and peace,” he doesn’t just say “from God.” Instead, he points us to two different beings: God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

What do you think of when you read that? Does it make you wonder if you should pray to both of them when you pray? Jesus famously said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Doesn’t that mean that praying to one is the same as praying to the other? 

The answer to these questions has to do with the difficulty we humans have in understanding the amazing dynamics of the spiritual realm. 

When Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, he explained that for people to see the kingdom of God, they have to be “born again” (John 3:3). Nicodemus is puzzled. He doesn’t understand at all. Jesus, in turn, expresses amazement at Nicodemus’s puzzlement:

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)

How indeed!

Look at how the Bible portrays Jesus in the Book of Revelation: 

“…among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:13-16)

Among the descriptors is a sword coming out of his mouth? Why? 

Later, John writes: 

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6)

Here we see Jesus as a lamb, looking dead, with seven eyes.

What is going on here? 

The Bible uses images to reveal God’s nature to us. If Paul uses both names, that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus and the Father are one. 

Application: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” — Jesus, John 14:9 

Food for Thought: What is the best way for us to approach these kinds of statements about God? 

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2 Timothy 1:2b – Three Gifts

Image of three gifts, wrapped in paper with ribbons on them. (Grok)

Grace, mercy, and peace…

Summary: In his role as an apostle, Paul is able to offer the gifts of God to Timothy and us.   

The structure of Paul’s first sentence in this letter is interesting. Here is the whole sentence—watch what he does: 

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul is an apostle. He is sent by the Lord Jesus to be an emissary for the Gospel. His specific mission is to the Gentile world. 

When God sends a representative, they do not go alone. God goes with them. Often, although not always, signs and wonders go with the person representing God. Moses, for example, performed many great signs before Pharaoh and the people of Israel. 

In Paul’s particular case, he, too, has performed signs and wonders. These signs testify to the fact that God is working through Paul and that his testimony is affirmed by the power of God. 

Now, we see him doing something different. 

In addition to preaching the Gospel, Paul is dispensing gifts from the Father. He doesn’t say, “May the grace of God be with you.” Instead, he confidently says that he is sending grace, mercy, and peace from the Father and Jesus Christ to Timothy. 

And what lavish gifts! 

Grace — the favor of God poured out on a person by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Mercy — Instead of the punishment we deserve because of our fallen nature, God extends his love and affection to us. 

Peace — the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7, RSV). 

It is hard to express the profound effect that the combination of these three gifts can have on a person. 

Imagine receiving a letter from Paul directed to you personally. In the letter, he opens with the same words he has written to Timothy. Now realize that God, in fact, offers you these same gifts! 

His mercy is extended to all people. As long as we are alive in the flesh, we have the opportunity to return to God and be welcomed home. 

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God’s grace is poured into our lives in the form of the Holy Spirit. 

When we have God’s mercy, the love of Jesus, and the grace that comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we also have God’s peace. 

Application: Enjoy the gifts of God!  

Food for Thought: How do grace, mercy, and peace help us to be disciples of Jesus? 

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2 Timothy 1:2a – A Son Like No Other

Paul works his trade as a tent maker (Grok)

… to Timothy, my beloved child…

Summary: Paul’s words to Timothy provide a clue to the depth of their relationship in the service of the Lord.   

Paul’s opening words to Timothy are touching: “To Timothy, my beloved child….” These are not just words to Paul. He has never married and never had children of his own. 

This reminds me of a passage from Isaiah, Chapter fifty-four, that Paul quotes in his letter to the Galatians: 

“For it is written,
‘Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear.
Break out and shout, you who don’t travail.
For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband.’” (Galatians 4:27)

In the flesh, Paul is ‘barren.’ In the spirit, Paul has many children. Chief among those Paul considers to be his sons is Timothy. 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul is explicit in his praise of Timothy: “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.” (Philippians 2:20). 

Timothy apparently shared Paul’s concern for other believers. He sounds like he was a younger version of Paul himself; praying for the churches, sacrificing to ensure that the Word is heard, and putting others before self. 

The kind of relationship Paul shared with Timothy would have been rare, indeed. Consider the circumstances.

Paul did not earn a living from being a missionary. He earned a living by making tents (Acts 18:3). All of his travel, preaching engagements, and missionary work were self-funded for the most part. (He did receive help on occasion, notably from the church at Philippi. [Philippians 4:15-16]) Paul worked to eat and preached to live. It was a hard life. Finding someone who would be willing to come alongside Paul and sacrifice a normal life for a life of sacrifice was nothing short of a miracle. 

Timothy was that miracle. 

There were others, of course. Titus and Silas come to mind. He worked closely with Barnabas, John Mark, and was supported by Luke, who turned out to be a dedicated personal physician and companion for Paul. 

God used all of these people in special ways, but the special person in Paul’s life was Timothy. 

Application: Rejoice that God sends the people into our lives that we need.  

Food for Thought: How have you seen God work through the people he brings into your life? 

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2 Timothy 1:1b – Been There Done That

Jesus and Nicodemus converse at night (Grok)

… according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus…

Summary: Paul’s wording in this passage gives us a reason to pause and ponder.   

Paul doesn’t waste any time in this letter. Already, before the ink is dry on his first sentence, I have questions about what he is saying. At least this time I am not alone! 

Translators have issues with this sentence, too. The translation used for the passage above is the World English Bible (WEB). The NIV says it almost the same way: 

“…in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus…”

The Darby Translation says it a bit differently and may capture the intent of the Greek better than most: 

“Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will, according to promise of life, the [life] which [is] in Christ Jesus…”

Let’s go with this translation for now. What is the life which is in Christ Jesus? Jesus says: 

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.” (John 11:25, WEB)

There is a technical phrase for what this sentence does to the human brain. It is “cognitive dissonance.” A more colloquial way to put it would be, “Jesus, you grind my gears!” 

How can I still live, even if I die?

It turns out that there are two kinds of life and death. The one we all know about is the kind of life we have when our body is working well, and the death we experience when the body stops working. But what about our inner self? What about the invisible, spiritual, personal “ME” that is inside of me and is where my thinking and feelings occur? 

The invisible part of us doesn’t just go out when we die, like blowing out a candle. Instead, it continues to exist only without the complications of a physical body. How do I know this? 

The best evidence is Jesus Christ himself. That he lived two thousand years ago is not contested. Some people claim that he didn’t really die on the cross, but the evidence that he did is overwhelming. Nobody survives being whipped to near death, crucified, and then run through to the heart with a lance. 

It is Jesus himself who provides evidence of life after death, and it is his conversation with Nicodemus that explains why he knows: 

“ I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:12-13)

He has “been there, done that,” as they say. 

Application: Trust Jesus—he knows! 

Food for Thought: What does the word “life” mean the way Paul is using it in his sentence? 

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2 Timothy 1:1a – Introducing Paul

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God…

Summary: Paul is a uniquely qualified emissary for the Lord’s Gospel message.   

Paul didn’t choose to be an apostle. In fact, when he woke up on the morning of the day he met Jesus, the last thing on his mind was being an apostle. His goal that day was to continue his journey to Damascus so he could hunt down and imprison more Christians. 

Up until that day, Paul had been Christians’ worst nightmare. Since the day that he stood by watching over the coats of those who stoned Stephen (Acts 7:54-60), Paul’s passion for purifying the world of this upstart religion had been unquenchable. It wasn’t until Jesus blinded him with his presence and announced who he was that Paul relented (Acts 9:1-9). 

After three days of being blind, when Paul had arrived in Damascus, God sent Ananias to go to Paul and open his eyes. After receiving the Holy Spirit and being baptized, Paul immediately began to proclaim Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Acts 9:10-19). Ever since, Paul’s passion for the Old Covenant was now being poured into the New. 

Because Paul was relentless in preaching the Gospel and starting churches throughout the known world, he was considered an apostle. Because he had been called into the service of the faith by Jesus Christ personally, Paul was considered an apostle on the order of the original eleven apostles who had been chosen by Jesus. (The twelfth, Judas, was the one who betrayed Jesus.)

Paul’s credentials as an apostle are rather unique:

“If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.” (Philippians 3:4-6)

His energy and commitment to the Gospel were unwavering. Because of all this, and because it was through the will of God to call him to the ministry, Paul’s letters have been treasured as “gospel” from the very first days of the church. 

Application: Pay attention to what Paul has written.  

Food for Thought: Do Paul’s letters represent his own thoughts, or are they God’s words? How do we know? 

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1 Timothy 6:21b – Daily Grace

1940's style photo of a large family praying before a meal (Grok)

Grace be with you all.

Summary: As we conclude our study of 1 Timothy, Paul offers us a reminder of the goodness of God.   

Well, we are finally here. We have reached the end of a long and fascinating journey through Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Along the way we have learned about Paul and Timothy as people, and also as brothers in Christ. We have also learned about the Gospel and how we are to live it. 

Paul’s next-to-last sentence was especially challenging. In it, he warns about the dangers of false knowledge and cautions that there is a danger of ‘departing from the faith.’ For many of us, the idea of leaving the faith is terrifying. So frightening, in fact, that we don’t even want to consider it a possibility. 

Paul understands. 

We know he understands, because having made the statement about false knowledge, he ends his letter with “Grace be with you all.” 

What, exactly, does that mean? 

The word Paul used, charis, is a word that means things like “benefit, favor, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality.”* If God gives you or me grace, it means he is making allowances for who we are and what we do. 

Grace is not a free pass to do whatever we please. It is more like an ointment or a salve that is applied to a wound to ease pain and speed healing. 

Having God’s grace in our lives is the difference between looking over our shoulders constantly to see if we have been found out, and relaxing on the couch, confident that the cop on the street outside is there to protect us, not haul us to jail. 

Paul’s passion for the Gospel is amazing. He never seems to waver in the slightest. Everything is about Jesus Christ—nothing else matters. Except that in life we have stubbed toes, parking tickets, hurt feelings, and … dare I admit it? … occasional trips to the freezer for an ice cream when no one is looking. 

These things happen. 

Timothy won’t always get it perfectly right. He is human. Mistakes will be made, and hopefully, lessons will be learned. The Good News is that, not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but he offers us grace for our daily lives as well. 

Application: Live for Jesus in the big things and the small.  

Food for Thought: How does God’s grace help strengthen our faith?

*”G5485 – charis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 25 Aug, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

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