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.
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.
