A note from our Pastor:

”Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”

1 Timothy 4:15

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

In our study verse this week the Apostle Paul continues to provide Timothy with instruction and guidance for how to live as a minister and a pastor of a congregation. He has previously given him specific instructions on doctrine and on false teachings to confront. The instructions provided in this section of scripture though are focused on Timothy’s daily life.

The breadth of “these things” in this verse is quite wide and varied. It stretches from the doctrine the Apostle has reinforced to the practical instructions given to Timothy for young ministers to follow. The Apostle was instructing Timothy to revisit all of these teachings to reinforce his understanding.

The more important aspect of this verse is the methods or approaches the Apostle tells Timothy to utilize in order to reinforce and grow his understanding. The first method is meditation. One of the greatest harms modern disciples have done to discipleship is not teaching on meditation. It is continually called for in the scriptures but all too often is relegated to mere thinking about a topic.

For Timothy, growing up in a 1st century Eastern household meditation would have been an understood practice. In Eastern cultures, meditation is a daily practice and is integrated into daily life. It is a focused period of time, with specific breathing and other physical habits, during which the individual seeks to understand their lives, the universe, and God at a deeper level. It is a period of removing the distractions of the life around you and centering upon the spiritual life within you.

The second approach the Apostle tells Timothy to take is to give himself wholly to the consideration and learning of the things of God. This specific instruction speaks to the depth of the reflection and study Timothy was supposed to perform. In Timothy’s day, there was not a New Testament to read, much less commentaries and other explanations. He could not fill his entire life with volume after volume, but rather the Apostle was instructing him to read, re-read, and meditate.

Certainly today, we are not in the same position as Timothy. But as disciples, we would be well served to follow the same advice. To spend more time in deep contemplation of the scriptures would be profitable to all disciples.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah