The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4

 

The First Letter of 

St. Paul to Timothy

Chapter 4

 

 ¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 1 to 2)



Oh God my beloved Father, there have been cases, where Roman Catholics have renounced their faith in You and may have even resorted to atheism or even satanism, my God and Father, which is a real pity to drink from the muddy waters instead of from the pure. Amen. The irony is this group of people who declare that they have no belief in You were originally educated Roman Catholics and not uneducated or people without the capacity to decide for themselves.



Oh God my Father, I pray that even though right now I am experiencing a very hard time, I pray that You keep the flame of faith burning in me forever Amen. 



³ They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from food, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving;⁵ for it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 3 to 5 )




Oh God my Father the world is twisting and manipulating all that You created. Satan is trying to disprove the validity of core values such as honest love, which is being replaced sexual attraction and lust and even humility which is being replaced by a strong ambition to gain power over others and succeed. This drive for power is becoming so strong that who can manipulate the most overcomes their competitors even if this means saying that the natural things that You created are not good compared to the products that they might be offering in the market.




The greatest sin of humanity my God and Father is that we might be accepting what You graciously give us for You know what we need before we even consider thinking about it, however we do not receive with thanksgiving but with a strong desire to have more. I thank You on the other hand for such people who still have the value of thanksgiving for not all is that bad and sinful. The world is still worth saving my God and Father Amen. 




⁶ If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teachings that you have followed.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verse 6)




Oh God my beloved Father those who believe in You are my mother, sister, and all my family, for we are one big family in Christ Jesus. May we all uphold the Good News as our instruction manual and with the help of the Holy Spirit of God learn to follow all that is written in the 'Good News' Amen.



⁷ Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives tales. Train yourselves in godliness, ⁸ for  while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.



 (The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 7 to 8)




Oh God my Father let us be able to choose what is from the physical world, to what is off our spiritual world. I pray that we do not adhere  to worldly theories such as that of evolution and other similar theories and philosophical arguments that try to negate Your presecnce, and adhere to the truth that is found in the ' Good News' Amen. 



⁹ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 9 to 10)




Oh God my beloved Father my end that I struggle for every day of my life is to be worthy to appear before You when my time comes. What I  do both my accomplishments and my failures I offer to You my God and Father Amen for it is not I  who lives, but the Holy Spirit that dwells in me. Amen.




¹¹  These are the things you must insist on and teach. ¹² Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love in faith, in purity.




(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 11 to 12) 




Oh God my Father, that I may be of a good example to others, that nothing evil or malicious may be said about me, even though at the present I am walking on a tightrope, the first mistake I make and I am reported to the police, by one of my inner circles. Bless this person, my God and Father, for her true and evil self is showing Amen. 


¹³ Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. ¹⁵ Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verses 13 to 15) 



Oh God my beloved Father even though we are to be of service to others, and monitor if those in our care are growing in their experience with You by means of scripture and prayer life, we are to remain vigilant over ourselves and our life of prayer and not give ourselves totally to others and not having time to pray and grow in our relationship with You my God and Father Amen.



¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 verse 16) 



Oh God my Father, as You know well even the doctor, may need the services of another doctor, therefore when we are in a state of giving in the service of others we may experience a need to cater for ourselves and our needs as in supervision, or spiritual direction. I pray that we all have such means available because especially during critical moments when Satan launches massive attacks on us, this means of support becomes a life saver Amen.



Oh God my Father, I would like to end the fourth chapter of the first letter of St. Paul to Timothy with the following prayer:



Oh God my Beloved Father, society gives us many mixed messages especially through the media that are not always true. We are promised a happy and comfortable life, that exists only in an ideal way. If we focus on adverts the reality that is projected is not always true. I pray that we place our focus not on the images projected on our screens but on the reality of life, that even though life may not always be easy going, we are not alone to challenge the waves hitting our boat. Jesus is on board and is in control Amen.




 

 



 
 

The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3

 

The First Letter of 

St. Paul to Timothy

Chapter 3

¹ The saying is sure; whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.

(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verse 1)

Amen, this is the great difference between a career a profession and a celibate life. Such a role as that of a priest or a bishop or nun having said that are precious and special before God and even before humanity. Such roles have our spiritual welfare at stake and not only the physical welfare as in other professions. I thank You God for the vocations that You bless us with Amen.


² Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, ³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 2 to 3) 


Oh God my Father, what has become of the true message of the 'Good News', many people are giving interpretations but what is the truth. In the old testament, the person who had been chosen by You would have been chosen to live a life that is entirely dedicated to You and not to a wife and family. You Yourself the model image remained single throughout Your human life on earth. However protestant bishops and pastors are married and have successful families, however, this is unheard of in the Roman Catholic Church. At times oh God my Father I get totally mixed up if I am to remain a Roman Catholic or not, especially when I hear Priests from the Roman Catholic Church preach that we were taught in error in relation to sensitive issues such as the reality of sin, You Yourself and even the commandments, that have been given many forms of interpretations. 



 ⁴ He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way- ⁵ for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 4 to 5) 



Oh God my beloved Father, the same applies for me, as a Christian, and even in my work. If I cannot cope and solve my own issues, or be humble enough to seek help in order to deal with an issue, how can I help or guide others in solving their own issues. The same skills used to deal with my own issues, may be good guidelines but not exactly identical because all situations are different, in order to be of help to others. I pray oh God my Father and Your Mother who is also my Mother to continue to be good parents and counsellors to me, so that on the good counsel that You both give me I could be of help to others. Amen. 



⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷ Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 6 to 7)  



Oh God many people may view and judge me differently, moreover we may esteem ourselves on how others view others. Therefore as Roman Catholics or Christians we are to be careful what messages we project, so that we do not place shame and dishonour on both ourselves and other believers and the name of god will be placed in shame instead of adoration Amen. 



⁸ Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; ⁹ they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ And let them first be tested; then if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. 



(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 8 to 10 ) 



Oh God my beloved Father as people who love and have given their lives to follow You, we are also to be true and sincere in our ways and not preach Your name but on the other hand be dishonest to others. We must have a clear conscience and our intentions must be based on what is written in the Bible and not according to what our thoughts and feelings tell us. As in the case of the deacons may we all be tested before being worthy to appear in Your presence and this is the test of life. May we all foud worthy of appearing in Your presence Amen. 


¹¹ Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; ¹³ for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness that is in Christ Jesus.




(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 11 to 13)


Oh God my Father, may we all be cautious in our ways regardless if we are men women or even children. Without knowing it, without being officially ordained as a Deacon, we could living a likewise worthy life carrying similar duties and reaching the same goal that of gaining a firm relationship with You my God and Father, that others likewise would choose to imitate. Amen.


Presently oh God my Father, I feel torn to the gut.  I am going to do that which is not totally approved by You, but on the other the ultimate aim in itself is totally good for the good of all the family. I pray that You do not hold it against me Amen.



¹⁴ I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, ¹⁵ If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. ¹⁶ Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great;  


He was revealed to flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.


(The First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 14 to 16)



Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to come to You soon in spirit and in flesh. I am writing these reflections, just in case I will not have much opportunity of continueing the sharing of these messages in prayer that You give me each day. However even though for some time I may not continue to share online my heart remains open to You even when I am offline. Amen. 


Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end this third chapter of the First  letter of St. Paul to Timothy with the following prayer:-


The model described as being fit for a bishop is one that as parents or responsible people who have given their lives, to You are to follow. To be aware of one's words and actions, to have sensitivity and awareness of the well-being of one's spiritual social and psychological needs and that of others is indeed a blessing. I pray that the teachings of the Bible be my point of reference forever Amen.