My Son in the Faith

II Timothy 1:2

Tim was a young man serving as a student pastor and worship leader in his church. On September 13, 2001, his son committed suicide. Tim says he tried to push on, but eventually had to step down. He entered into what would be a 3-year bout with depression. Tim grew angry because of what had happened. He spewed anger all around him. Eventually he went to visit his dad. who convinced him to "...give God, his marriage, and kids chance". He went back home and decided that he and his family needed to move. This brought them to a new church. It was in that church that he met a man named Barry.

Barry struck up a conversation about books, which eventually led to weekly meetings with Tim. Barry said that he "poured hatred, bitterness, and anger out while he (Barry) poured faith, hope, and love back in". Eventually Tim found healing and a new and greater love for God. He is now mentoring others, just as Barry did for him.

https://www.christianmentorsnetwork.org/success-stories

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Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

II Timothy 1:2

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Timothy was a young man and a young pastor of the church at Ephesus (v. 3). Paul was writing to him to encourage, strengthen, and charge him with teaching sound doctrine, and living a life worthy of his calling as a pastor. While we do not know much about their relationship, there are a few things we can deduce.

First, Paul knew Timothy's family well. In Second Timothy 1:5, Paul speaks of the faith that had been instilled in Timothy by his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. It may have been that Paul spent time in the family's home and observed their Christian conduct. Regardless of the circumstances, Paul had observed them teach Timothy the truth of God's word. He had been in close enough proximity with the family to not only see this teaching, but to see that it was genuine and not just a good show for the preacher.

Timothy did not have a Godly father in his life. We can deduce this by the absence of the mention of his father as being part of his spiritual training. There are a number of reasons why his father may not have been a part of his faith training, so I will not speculate as to why. However, there was a void in his life. There was a need for a Godly man to pour into him and to encourage him to be who God was calling him to be. There was a need for an example of a faithful man in his life.

Just as in the testimony above, Paul mentored young Timothy and taught him scripture. He encouraged him in the Lord. He strengthened Timothy in his walk with the Lord. Timothy was better for the involvement of Paul in his life. Even considering the two letters that Paul wrote to him, they were written from prison and their very existence was an example of faithfulness to God. Before he even read them, Timothy could see the faith of Paul and his trust in God to see him through whatever trial he would face.

In our country today there is a major need for Godly men to mentor other men. It isn't just young men either. We have gone so long with women taking the kids to church and filling positions at church until we have a generational problem of underdeveloped men in the church. We have an epidemic of fatherless homes across our nation. The overcrowded prisons and acts of violence we see today is directly related to godlessness among men in America. We need Christian men to step up and do what we find so very uncomfortable doing; physically, emotionally, and spiritually connecting with other men for the sake of the Gospel. While it may start with talking about the Braves or Dawgs, it needs to progress into something deeper and more meaningful. The known goal upfront should be for them to see Jesus in us.

Father, thank You for Godly men in my life. I thank You for the example they have set for me. I thank You for the investment they made in me. I pray that You would allow each of us to find a Timothy that we can invest time and prayer into. I also pray that You raise up Timothys who will faithfully serve You for the next generation.