Freedom For Today

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Several years ago, I went on a retreat with a group of friends.  We stayed in little cabin on a lake, and we spent time fishing and hiking and playing laser tag.  All of them were followers of Jesus, and it was an election year, so eventually politics came up. I was amazed at the variety of opinions.  “Good Christians always vote Republican,” said one guy. “No,” said another, “they always vote democrat!” Another claimed Christians shouldn’t align with any of the political parties, and a fourth said that Christians shouldn’t even bother to vote.  

In these verses, Paul has finished setting the scene for Timothy.  The introduction to the letter is over, and now the directions begin.  What is fascinating is that the first direction involves how Christians should engage with the political world around them.  Christianity for Paul was a very public thing. So was prayer. So praying should start where it can have the most impact, and where is that?  With those who have the most influence. Political leaders – whether the kings of Paul’s day or the presidents of our own – are people of great influence.  They can make the world in which we live chaotic or peaceful. As a follower of Jesus, you can actually help determine whether their leadership directs the world towards chaos or peace.

Here’s your freedom for today: your prayers can influence powerful people to do peaceful things.  The kings of Paul’s day were self-centered, sinful, at times insane men. Yet Paul commands that believer’s pray for them.  Why? Because only God can change the heart of a ruler. Only God can transform the inner life of a leader so that he or she leads with Godly principles.  What might cause God to act in the heart and life of that leader? Paul is gives a very simple answer: your prayers. So if you want peace in the world, pray for your political leaders – presidents, senators, governors, mayors and judges.  Your prayers may actually change the future of the entire world.

 

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of 1 Timothy 1 before reading the devotional below.

My family and I recently went on vacation to France.  Every day was filled with timeless architecture, world-class artwork and breathtaking views into ancient history.  We saw the Arche De Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Mona Lisa, and Van Gogh’s Starry Night. We saw the best of medieval art and modern art all in the same day.  As the days filled, I found myself grateful for the moments before bed when I could review my pictures. It helped me to catalogue what I’d seen throughout the day – to put the pieces of my day together into a coherent whole.  

As we finish 1 Timothy 1, we pause for a similar reason.  We have spent almost a week reading a single chapter of the Bible together.  During that time we have zoomed in on several significant words, phrases, and ideas.  But God didn’t tell Paul to write a series of disconnected tweets. 1 Timothy is a letter, and we must intentionally pause to put the pieces of what we’ve learned back together.  So what has Paul said? First, we notice that Paul both began (vs. 5) and ended (vs. 19) by connecting the ideas of “a clear conscience” and “faith in Christ.” The intersection of these ideas matters far more to him than fancy spiritual talk or debate.  We also see Paul highlight the value of God’s law – it is a tool for those who are not doing what is right to get them back on track. It is not a tool designed for those who are doing right to give them feelings of superiority. Finally, we see Paul wrapping all this up in an encouragement to his mentee Timothy.  Timothy has been commissioned by Paul to help keep a church in Ephesus focused on the main thing as it is here described.

Here’s your freedom for today: if you cling to Jesus, he will cling to you.  Life is filled with struggles and distractions. Some come from people who claim to be “spiritual” like those who get distracted by needless religious debates.  Others come from people who know nothing about Jesus and are simply seeking to make it through life on their own steam. Others come from within your own heart and mind.  Regardless of where the struggles or distractions come from, however, God has given you a way to overcome. Clinging to Jesus and having a clear conscience aren’t separate ideas – the one enables you to have the other.  Clinging to Jesus will guarantee you a clear conscience you could never have had on your own. So no matter what comes, cling to Jesus. As long as you do that, you can figure out everything else.

 

“Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.”

Throughout my life, I have been in many situations where I wanted to hear a clear word from God telling me about my future or my calling.  I remember praying for direction in my college dorm room long enough that the pattern of the industrial carpet imprinted itself on my knees.  I remember being in a church service where a special guest was preaching. I sat in the back thinking, “Let God give that guy a special word just for me.”

Maybe we all want God to deliver special messages just for us, or maybe it’s just me.  Timothy had apparently received just such a message – some kind of “prophetic words.” Whatever these words were, they led Paul to give Timothy very specific advice: “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.”  On second thought, maybe the advice isn’t that specific. Maybe God’s most important messages to his people aren’t the unique ones that differ from one person to another. Maybe the most important messages are the universal ones – the ones that are the same from person to person.

Here’s your freedom for today: through His Word, God is speaking directly to you.  This command to Timothy is as directly to you as it is to Timothy. God is challenging you through Paul to “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.”  The alternative is spiritual shipwreck – a road many have gone down including Hymenaeus and Alexander. That painful road is one you don’t have to go down, though. With God’s command comes God’s power.  If God commands you to cling to your faith in Christ, he will empower you to hold on tight. If he commands you to keep your conscience clear, he will help you do exactly that. So now today, you have heard God speak directly to you.  Will you obey? That’s the only question that matters.

 

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.”

I got my first trophy on a rainy day when I was nine.  I was dressed in the goldish-yellow jersey, black shorts and overly-large shin guards of a young soccer player.  My team had lost every game that year, and I had been one of the worst players on the team. I had barely earned my participation trophy.

In these verses, Paul speaks of himself as if he were a trophy.  He sets up the idea by briefly comparing his life before encountering Jesus with his life after encountering Jesus.  Beforehand he was insolent and a blasphemer. He persecuted Christians (capturing them to be murdered, in fact!). Through an encounter with Jesus his perspective changed, and he was empowered to continue the work that Jesus had started.  He is now considered a trustworthy servant of Jesus. What a change! That change makes God look really incredible – it is a transformation that could only be accomplished with the aid of divine power.

Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus can use your story to bring himself glory.  “Glory” simply means fame or recognition. When Jesus transforms your story from something painful or sad or broken into something whole, healthy and meaningful, it brings him great glory.  You, like Paul, become a trophy. When I was nine, I received a meaningless trophy. It said nothing about my performance. The more your life is transformed, however, the more your life is a meaningful trophy.  The change in your life can speak volumes about God’s greatness, his power, his love, his mercy, and how all of these things unite together to renew your life.

 

“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.”

I had to take two long trips last week.  Each trip was about 75 miles. Each trip would take me through several small, New England states with beautiful scenery.  On one trip I used my GPS, but on the other I didn’t. What was the difference? On the first trip, I knew where I was going, and I knew how to get there.  On the second, even though I had the address, I didn’t know exactly where I was going, and I certainly didn’t know how to get there. It makes sense: a GPS is only for people who are lost.  

Paul here suggests something similar about God’s law: it is only for people who are lawbreakers, people who find themselves to be out of sync with how God designed people to live and act.  Paul lists out all sorts of people who are lawbreakers. Some might seem to break the law in big ways while others might seem to break God’s law only in insignificant ways. Paul doesn’t seem to care; they are all lawbreakers.  Then he makes a shocking claim: the law exists for lawbreakers. Most people think that God’s law exists to condemn them. If that’s the case, it doesn’t help the lawbreaker very much, does it? But what if God’s law exists for another reason?  

Here’s your freedom for today: God gave you His law to point you towards your best possible life.  He didn’t give you the law to condemn you. Imagine if the only function of a GPS was to buzz violently whenever you got off course.  You wouldn’t want one, would you? A GPS is helpful because when you get off course, it lets you know, and it helps you find your way back.  God’s law functions the same way. When your life gets off course, God wants to help you get back on course. If you trust His Law the way that you would trust a GPS, you will eventually find your life getting back on course.