Timothy: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances
Timothy: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances
Can you imagine being discipled by the likes of the Apostle Paul, then being sent to churches he started, to correct error, encourage believers, teach sound doctrine, and uphold scriptural qualifications for church leaders?
In 1 Timothy 1:3, Timothy had to be strongly persuaded by Paul because he didn’t think he was the right man for the job. He was young, and people looked down on him because of his age. He also knew that he would be dealing with difficult people, some who even opposed the Gospel and could cause trouble in the churches (2 Timothy 4:14-15). It didn’t help that he also struggled with his health. In fact, Paul advised him to take some wine to make his stomach feel better (1 Timothy 5:23). In Acts 16:3, Paul even required that he be circumcised to avoid conflict with the Jews. Young Timothy didn’t object but, instead, showed a tremendous willingness to avoid all obstacles for the sake of the Gospel, even sacrificing his own body!
Why was Timothy able to trust God during these and other difficult circumstances in his life? In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul described Timothy’s faith as “genuine”; it was the real deal! In fact, it was the fuel that energized him to not question why he was going through tough times but to trust God through them.
Beloved, the litmus test for genuine faith is Jesus Christ…confess with your mouth that He is Lord and believe in your heart that He rose from the dead and you will possess genuine faith, real faith; the kind that can energize you to not question why you are going through difficult circumstances, but to trust God through them knowing that His plans for you are “to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Timothy demonstrated this kind of faith. How about you?
This is Laine Wilder for Carry the Light Ministries, bringing you Insights From an Elder.
by Laine Wilder
author of “Insights From an Elder” for
Carry the Light Ministries
