12 I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me strength. I thank him that he considered me faithful. And I thank him for appointing me to serve him. 13 I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn’t a believer. 14 Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all. 16 But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life. 17 The eternal King will never die. He can’t be seen. He is the only God. Give him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God shows me mercy for this reason:

“So others can see that Jesus has mercy for them too, and wants to do something beautiful with their lives”.

This is wonderful to contemplate. First that Jesus would love me though I was a sinner. Second that he loves me not only that I might be loved, but so others can see that they are loved too.

So now I am entrusted with callings that are unique to me, and it is Jesus that has given me strength to fulfil them. He found what looked useless and has turned me into someone useful.

“Lord we all have unique callings, yet we all have the one calling. Lord we rest in your love, we know you love us. May people see that you love them through our lives, let your power strengthen us for this call, the universal call of your Church”. Amen.

Written By Andrew Mellor

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus, just as God our Savior commanded. Christ Jesus also commanded it. We have put our hope in him. 2 Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace. 3 Stay there in Ephesus. That is what I told you to do when I went into Macedonia. I want you to command certain people not to teach things that aren’t true. 4 Command them not to spend their time on stories that aren’t completely true. They must not waste time on family histories that never end. Things like that cause people to argue instead of doing God’s work. His work is done by faith. 5 Love is the purpose of my command. Love comes from a pure heart. It comes from a good sense of what is right and wrong. It comes from faith that is honest and true. 6 Some have wandered away from those teachings. They would rather talk about things that have no meaning. 7 They want to be teachers of the law. And they are very sure about that law. But they don’t know what they are talking about.

Paul looked at Timothy as a son and therefore as his spiritual father it was his duty to continually give advise and encouragement to strengthen Timothy’s faith and to affirm that he has authority to command folk not to teach false and misleading doctrines. This must be done with love and for Timothy to keep his life as a example.

Our lives must be the same and our talk must be true and a means of showing Christ to those we are in contact with, leading to them to Him.

Lord help me to love, live and speak only that which glorifies You. May my daily life be so effective that others will want what I have in my life.

Written by Joan Bennett

9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

11 God’s saving grace has appeared to all people. 12 It teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful longings. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. 13 That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in all his glory. He is our great God and Savior. 14 He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to long to do what is good. 15 Those are the things you should teach. Cheer people up and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

The earlier verses in chapter 2, I think, can be summed up in verse 12 – “live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” .. self-controlled has been repeated in this letter 5 times up til now .. Paul is really wanting us to catch this.   I looked up that word in my dictionary and it says – “power of controlling one’s behaviour, emotions, etc.”  Not that this means we’re to be all “buttoned-up”, there is a balance, we are to control them not the other way around.

I look back at my life and think I’m doing pretty good at being self-controlled compared to when I first became a Christian, but oh dear, compared to where Jesus wants me to be …. there are still many things that I’m sure make Him cringe.  I am grateful that I have the Holy Spirit helping to train me, but I think Paul wants me to know that I need to take responsibility.

Lord, thank you that there is this constant reminder that you want us to lead the best life possible and when I align myself with your desires for me I change and grow. Holy Spirit continue to train me and find that balance of living a self-controlled, upright and godly life.

Written by Suzie Hodgson

2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

We Australians devote an awful lot of effort to teaching young people. But not so much older people. Education tends to stop once we get to adulthood. It’s interesting that Paul begins by telling Titus to teach the older men and women. It seems that older people are just as valuable as an investment for God as younger people.

It’s also interesting that he lists more things for the older men to be taught than the younger men. It seems we should be taught more as we get older, not less. Of course paired with that is that we are to become more teachable, more ready to learn as we get older, not less. (Often not the way it goes.)

It sounds like Titus was a younger man (he’s to make himself an example to them). Yet he should not be afraid to teach older men and women, and they should be ready to learn from a younger man. (Again, not always easy.)

I think it’s also interesting that what he teaches is more about wisdom and a life lived well than facts. (Quite different to a lot of schooling.)

So much for us to learn. All of us. All the more as we get older.

Written by David Cornell