father to son mandate

Be an example to all believers in what you teach,

in the way you live,

in your love,

your faith,

& your purity.

1 Timothy 4:12b



This is from the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy.

Timothy was a young man whose mother was Jewish & his father was Greek.

Timothy worked with & traveled with Paul.

Remember that travel back then was hardly an Expedia or Travelocity experience.

Paul & Timothy's relationship was one in which Paul considered Timothy his son.


This verse at first glance seems a simple mandate from Paul to his son.

But think about it...


"be an example to all believers in what you teach..."

And if Timothy is to be an example in what he teaches, then what he teaches needs to be consistent with the life & teachings of Jesus, & not portray any hypocrisy, duplicity, or prejudice.


"...in the way you live..."

iow, Timothy had to be squeaky clean. When people looked at him & watched his life, they needed to see a live that lined up with Jesus' life.

I'm sure Paul, & finally Timothy, realized that people seldom listen to what we say until they've sufficiently watched the way we live out our lives.


"...in your love..."

oh yeah... Timothy had to be & do all things in an essence of love. Good luck with that in the world in which he lived.

I'm sure he had to fight against the voices in his head & from those around him that encouraged or demanded he be a hard-tailed jackass in some situations.


"...your faith..."

Faith is all about trust.

Timothy needed to show in all aspects of his life that he had put all his eggs in Jesus' basket - he was all in, trusting God in all things.


"...your purity..."

Timothy lived in a world where "anything goes".

Personal purity was looked upon as an extreme rarity.

And Timothy lived around people who would be watching to see if the life he lived was in any way tainted by immorality.



The thing is, Paul's mandate to Timothy applies to us today.

Our world is as bad, or worse, than the Roman world of the first century.

The pressures to be & do in a way that is consistent with conventional thinking are even stronger now.

And our world seems to be spiraling more & more toward an abyss of frightening proportion & identity.



Being a follower of Jesus may be simple, but it is seldom if ever easy in our world today.