In today’s Bible reading*, Paul highlights several solid marks of godly people. Godly people are known by what they flee from: False doctrine, the love of money, disputes and arguments over words, envy, quarreling, slander, and evil suspicions. Paul argued against these things throughout his letters. Godly people are also known by what they pursue…
When Paul talks about honoring the elders in today’s Bible reading*, he isn’t talking about honoring your parents or honoring people who are older than you. He’s talking about honoring church elders. Elders in the First Century church were pastors and mature men who had been called to provide spiritual and financial leadership for the…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells Timothy to guard against people looking down on him because of his youth. We don’t know how old Timothy is. There may have been some concern that this young pastor may not have enough experience or maturity to fulfill his ministry. There’s a lot to be said about someone…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells Timothy what to look for in church leaders. I don’t know that Paul’s checklist is so much a checklist as much as it is a reminder that character matters. And character matters … a lot. I find it interesting how Bible teachers and commentators read their Bibles. Many modern…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells his spiritual son Timothy that Believers should pray for those in authority over them. He uses several Greek words for prayer, each covering a different type of prayer. And he tells Timothy to pray “for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may…