Live Godly

1 TIMOTHY 2

Paul has given Timothy an introductory overview of what ministry entails, focusing on the gospel, and checking one’s heart. Now he gets into some of the specifics, and he begins with prayer.

Prayer should be offered for all people, leaders and those in authority included. This is to be done with all godliness and dignity, and here, the main purpose is so that the Christian can lead a tranquil life, a quiet life. And Paul is speaking inwardly, with the idea of being at peace with oneself, having been able to pray for others. This is good, indeed.

I love the reminder that God desires all to be saved. This helps me realize that the frustration I may feel with those outside the body of Christ can be a direct result of their lack of a relationship with God, and the tension between God wanting them saved and them not wanting to be saved.

More than ever, personally, I appreciate the mediator I have in Christ. How great is He to go before the Father on my behalf, and in spite of my frailty and weaknesses, He allows the Father to see Him when He looks at me. I have so many days when I have a hard time looking at me, I can only imagine what God must feel, and yet He is willing to see Christ. This is news and the message that needs to get out more, and illustrating that aspect is Paul being called a preacher, actually the word is more like “herald”. We are to be the ones going colloquially through the streets announcing this great news.

Paul says, because of all this, PRAY! No wrath or dissension, just pray.

Women are singled out, and the principle applied to them works for us men, too. We want people to take notice of us? Then we should set our minds to having them notice our godliness, and then point them to Christ when they do, because the glory is His.

And since the women are to be submissive to teaching, who do we think is to be doing that teaching? That would be us leading them, men. If we as Christian men can’t lead and teach our wives, then who would we rather teach them?

Prayer is indeed a foundational, cardinal practice of the faith. I am reminded of 1 Peter 3:7, where I see how I am toward my wife and how that directly affects my prayer life.

Timothy refers to (as worded in the NASB) entreaties, prayers, petitions, thanksgiving. He expects the man of God to be pleading, to be asking, to be thanking God rather routinely and as a major focus of any ministry. Here he is speaking to one leading a church, yet it applies close to home as well.

Timothy was, as we are also, to lead this godly and tranquil life, at peace knowing that God is God, and that we need Him. Really knowing God should lead to that peace.