If I were Timothy #1: Blown away to receive a letter from Paul himself

Who Was Timothy?

Timothy is a Greek name which means ‘honouring God’ or ‘honoured by God’.

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.  Acts 16:1

After Paul had visited Lystra, Timothy became his companion and co-worker along with Silas. Timothy then travelled around with Paul, who became his mentor. Paul trusted him to carry out important work.

But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. Philippians 2:22

If I were Timothy, I would be blown away to receive this letter from Paul. After all, I’d been at his side as he’d written the letters to Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians. But these letters were addressed to groups of believers and not an individual like myself. I’d be even more amazed to discover that two letters addressed to me would end up in this collection of books people would come to know as the Bible!

Yes, Paul and I were close. He was like a father to me. But I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t do. I served God in the best way I could. That’s it. It wasn’t easy at times, but I looked to Paul for guidance and support – and what a man Paul is!

Passage From The Letter

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  1 Timothy 1:1-2

If I were Timothy, this is how I would reply to this section of the the letter…

Paul, here’s a reply from me to you…

You’ve always been like a father to me, you know that, but to hear you call me ‘my true son in the faith’ had me close to tears! I count it such a privilege for you to regard me in this way. You’ve brought so many men and women to faith in the one true God and I am nothing special.

I’m amazed you wrote to me, just to me! I know how much it takes out of you to compile these letters. Thank you so much. You say it’s by command of God so I guess you felt called to write to me and I need to thank God for knowing that I really needed some encouragement. Receiving a letter from you has really boosted me.

Being away from you is hard. It can be lonely and sometimes, I’m unsure I’m doing the right thing or doing what you would do. We’ve spent so much time travelling and working together that it’s tough when you’re not there.

Jesus is my hope: it is he who gives me the confidence to carry out this work. It is only his grace, mercy and peace that keep me going at times. Taking a moment to reflect on those three words – grace, mercy and peace – is a great help in itself. Grace – a reminder that I have done nothing to deserve this new life in Christ. Mercy – a reminder that I need to show mercy and forgiveness to others, as God has shown mercy and forgiveness to me. Peace – a reminder that God has everything in hand and I have no need to worry. It’s easy to take these gifts from God for granted, but at the end of the day, these things are sometimes all we have.

So thank you: just a few lines in and I’m feeling better already!