Good morning! Last week we read on the attitude and character of Christ and you were challenged to be light in the darkness. This morning we will continue our reading in Philippians chapter 2 with Apostle Paul preparing to send Timothy to the church at Philippi.

Bible verse – Philippians 2:19-24 NLT

¹⁹ If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. ²⁰ I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. ²¹ All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. ²² But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. ²³ I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. ²⁴ And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.

Reflection

Apostle Paul was mindful of Timothy’s zeal for Christ. Timothy was mentioned in Acts chapter 16 on Paul’s second missionary trip, here’s a little background about Timothy:

¹ Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. ² Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, ³ so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. ⁵ So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day. – ACTS 16:1-5

Apostle Paul was familiar with Timothy and his work to share the Good News and encourage believers. While Paul knew of others who could share the Good News and encourage the church of Philippi, through discernment he knew Timothy would be better suited to send to Philippi.

Sisters and brothers, we all need someone to encourage us and strengthen our faith. We all need a sister and/or brother in the faith that will lead by example or remind us of Christ Jesus and His ability to be powerful in all our circumstances. We also are called to encourage our sisters and brothers in truth and in love.

Are you ready?

Sisters and brothers, if you were to examine those you keep company with, who do you have in your inner circle who genuinely cares about your welfare? Which friends care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ?Think about it…

As you ponder on these questions, remember these questions were not written or asked to make you feel depressed or sorry for yourselves. The questions were asked to make you aware and to prayerfully consider the need for true Christian fellowship and believers in your life who lead by example. If you do not have someone in your life, like Paul had Timothy I simply want to encourage you to start praying for the Lord to send you people of faith to be part of your life. However, let’s start with ourselves first. How can we be faithful followers of Christ and encouragers of the faith to our friends and family?

Prayer

Father God, in the name of Jesus we come to you in prayer. We thank you for the faithful followers of Christ Jesus in the word and those who are in our everyday lives. We are thankful for the day when the Good News was shared with us and for that special day we said yes to following Christ for all eternity. There is no greater comfort than knowing that we belong to you. Lord, we are willing and ready to serve you. Lord, help us and give us discernment to encourage our sisters and brothers in the faith, but also to be examples of Christ daily so that those who do not believe will see you at work within us and in the world. Lord, help us to be more focused on the things that matter to you than our own selfish ambitions. Help us to care and have hearts that seek the least, lost, last and the left out. Lord, continue to equip us for your purposes and give us boldness to share with all those who are willing to hear. In Jesus name, amen.

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