
Up til now all my parenting post have been focused on understanding Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Monday I began to focus in the letters to Timothy. Letters that are essentially from a parent to an adult child. As it is clearly stated that Paul called Timothy his son in the faith, so we could say adopted son.There are a lot of things to learn from these letters from history to personal maintenance, person to person relationships to picking your fights.
Today, let’s look at Paul’s greeting, verse one, where he doesn’t just say hi it’s me Paul.
Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.
Paul is defining who he is and who he serves. He could have just said hi it’s me Paul. Timothy knew who he was. But everyone of Paul’s letters starts with a greeting. Most say Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. 1 Thessalonians he just says Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. But my point isn’t about ancient methods of letter greetings. It’s simply the thought that Paul wanted to remind Timothy who he serves and Paul didn’t necessarily need to do that. Timothy spent time on the missionary field with Paul. His training as a preacher may of started at the knees of his mother and grandmother, but he learned to sharpen his mind and the sword of God in the field and his teacher was one of the best. He was a chosen by Jesus apostle.
In a pagan world, back then 2000 years and ago, as well as today it’s easy to end up tending to the needs of this world and forget who we are and who we serve. There is a necessity to not just remind ourselves of this, but to remind our children. Paul had the credentials to back his claim of who he was and he got then not simply by his training to be a rabbi, or his road to Damascus conversion. Timothy didn’t see those things. He saw Paul’s service to his Lord.
I don’t think I can remind any parent enough how much your daily life is shared with your children. They see and learn, or rebel based on their first teacher, you. When they are infants they watch your face and learn to smile and how to form words. They watch you sit down, stand up, and walk, and then do their best to copy. None of that copying stops at the sight of your bad habits. Nor does it completely stop when they learn from other new or more and more teachers of the world. It may feel like it. If you look closely at actions and attitudes, or tendencies you’ll see yourself in what they do.
What you do and say from day to day teaches your children who you are and who you serve. It is a large part of how they learn who they are and who they serve. Are you serving your worldly cares or are you serving Christ?