Purpose For the Charge from 1 Tim. 1:5

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2-9-02

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Purpose for the charge

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 1:5

 

            Message of the verse:  Paul, in this verse gives some reasons for giving Timothy the charge, which he spoke of in verse three.  The first reason was that to love from a pure heart.  This word in the Greek is “agape,” the kind of love that God has for us.  The rest of the reasons for the charge are attached to love.  A person cannot be following love if he is doing those things Paul spoke of in verses three and four.  The believer is to love from a pure heart, and from a good conscience is the next part of the command.  If believers love from a pure heart they will probably have a good conscience.  Conscience is a part of the makeup of a person that God has given to us.  Paul says in Romans 2:15 that God has written His laws on our hearts and this will have a large effect on our consciences.  The conscience is a part of us that can tell us when we do wrong and can also let us know when we do something good.  The last part of this command or charge has to do with a “sincere faith.”  In other letters Paul wrote he says that believers should do a check on their faith to make sure that they are in the faith, or that they are true believers.  It is possible that some of these who were causing trouble were not even in the faith at all, so their faith could not be sincere.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Salvation is a gift from God and the results of salvation are a changed life, a life changed 180 degrees.  After salvation was given to me I still have the old sin nature in me, a nature that wants to do it’s own thing, a nature that wants to oppose God, a nature that is the “landing strip” for advances of the Devil.  This old nature likes “religion,” and religion means that a person is trying to earn his way to a relationship with God, and entrance into heaven.  The point of all of this is that I, as a believer, need to stay away from these things that Paul is mentioning in verses three and four and do the things that are mentioned in verse five.  As a believer I can actually try and worship God from my “flesh.”  This is why I need to check out to make sure that I am a true believer from time to time.  When my Christianity is on autopilot it is going about it in the wrong way.

The Word of God was convicting to me today.  It also challenged me.  

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Keep my Christianity off of “autopilot” would be one of the first things that I should think about and do.  I want to worship God in Spirit and in truth as Jesus spoke of in John’s gospel.  I want to have a good conscience, a conscience that not only lets me know when I do something wrong, but lets me know when I do something correct.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Deuteronomy 31:6  “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you.”