What if …

1 Timothy 3:14-16

¹⁴ Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, ¹⁵ if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.

The power of the written word!  It’s seems that even the apostle Paul himself did not fully understand the impact that his letters would have on generations to come.

Paul states here that he has written this letter to Timothy to be passed on as instruction to the church in case he doesn’t get there in person. It sounds to me like Paul is writing this letter as a Plan B, a sort of back-up plan, and not really understanding that his letters would be a treasured portion of scripture for us all to learn from 2,000 years later.  

Imagine, instead of writing his letter, Paul had decided to just wait until he saw the church in Ephesus in person to tell them these important things. If that were the case, none of what he said to the church in person would be recorded for us today. Thankfully, Paul was inspired to write his letters without fully understanding the long term impact they would have.

This helps me remember how God is able to direct us and use us in ways that we may not fully understand at the time.  Whether it’s writing a letter (or email), sending a text or making a phone call, I’m encouraged to listen to the Spirit’s prompting when He puts someone on my heart. I may never know the full impact of what may seem like a small act of reaching out to someone with a word of encouragement or exhortation.

What is God’s Spirit prompting you to do today? May we each be sensitive to His voice and allow Him to use our simple acts of kindness to bless others.

Written by Shelley Witt