Broken branches
2 Timothy 1:2-5 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
What is your heritage? What do you know of the generations from which you descended? Our lines may be a mystery, they may be shrouded in pain, they may be something we wish to hide from, for God delivered us from painful situations. Our stories may all differ, but we all have a story. We all were raised in one of two situations; either in a God fearing home, or one that did not recognize Him. There is no middle ground here; you either raised a Christian or you were not. God may have delivered you as the beginning of your ancestral line into His kingdom for your generations that follow you. God may have placed you in a line of His elect, and you were the one who rebelled against Him; that was my story. I was the prodigal son who came from a line of Christians, even a pastor, but yet desired to rebel against God for much of my life. The power of praying parents and Godly influences softened my heart, and I responded to His invitation.
Paul was encouraging his “adopted” son, his protege, the one whom he loved dearly in his most likely last words to him in second Timothy. Paul was in prison and knew his execution was imminent, he desired to see Timothy again, and to encourage him to keep the faith in all the adversity that he would surely face. He pointed Timothy to his upbringing, his heritage, the strong faith that been instilled in him as a child. His heritage was that of loving family that desired and encouraged him in the same faith. 5 genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. In this depth of faith is where Timothy would find strength and his spiritual gifts. Timothy’s gift is not named, but Paul encouraged him to seek the pursuit of the use of it to God’s glory. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Paul is using all this to point out to Timothy where he has come from, where his heritage lies. This should have encouraged Timothy and strengthened his faith in the understanding of where God has placed him for service. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Paul did not want Timothy to fear the persecutions that lie ahead as a minister of the faith; he spends much time in Timothy assuring him that persecution will come. We may be living in the days of the descriptions of 2nd Timothy; of false prophets and growing persecutions of Christians; of a time when we must suffer for Christ. Are you running from where He has placed you when you look at your family tree? Are you the rebel without a cause? Could that cause become to glorify Christ in your remaining life?
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