Day 207, 1 Timothy 6
Today’s reading begins with several verses that are equally at home in the previous chapter (remember that the chapters and verses have been added to the text and are not in the original manuscripts). So verses 1 and 2 could be adding to what Paul said about recognizing (or ordaining) leaders in Chapter 5 - only those who respect and honor the authority of those over them bring credit to God’s name and build up the family of God.
False teaching was already a problem in Ephesus (and elsewhere) by the time this letter was written (about 62-65 AD). Paul is equipping Timothy to stand firm against error. One measure of this is avoiding greed (a necessary balance to the teaching in the previous chapter that those who lead are worthy of financial support). The church is a place where God’s order undergirds God’s provision, and self-interest is improper. Loving money (and the desire for self-promotion it cultivates) is the root of all evils. This is what we see in the fall of satan in Isaiah 14.
And so Paul concludes this first letter with his final exhortations to Timothy. If you have accepted that God has a calling on your life, and a purpose for you to fulfill, then I challenge you to replace Timothy’s name with your own, and receive Paul’s encouragement by reading verses 11 to 21 as written to you.
Have a great day!
Mark.