Be Still And Know

1 Timothy 6:9-10 People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. This is one of the most misquoted verses in the whole Bible. It is often said that money is the root of all evil, but it isn’t. It’s the love of money that’s the problem. Money is part of the world that God has made, and like everything that he has given us, it can be used well or badly. Time, sex, possessions, creation and anything else you care to name can be used to build or to destroy. Money is the worst possible love affair. It promises so much and delivers so little. It promises happiness, security and peace, and it cannot buy any of them. Indeed, the problem with money is that for the lover of money, it becomes like salt water. It leaves you permanently thirsty. It’s no wonder th

Timothy 6:6-8 True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. Everybody can see that to be contented is a wonderful way to be. Oscar Wilde wrote: “True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything one has.” Those are wise words, and they well reflect the thinking of the stoics, whose philosophy was so influential at the time Paul was writing. However, the apostle goes a step further. Contentment is thoroughly good, but it is best when combined with a life that is focused on God. The person who has found a relationship with God can have confidence that they will have peace, whatever their circumstances, for time and eternity. We live in a society that is fundamentally discontent. The advertising industry works hard all the time to convince us that our contentment relies on us buying the late

1 Timothy 6:1 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. It’s hard for us to imagine what it must have been like when slavery was normal. Between ten and 20 per cent of the population were slaves in Roman times, so it was an issue with which everyone was familiar. Because the members of the Church were largely drawn from the poorer members of society, it is likely that the proportion of Christians who were slaves was much higher. It was vital, therefore, that Paul handled the question of how Christian slaves should act towards their masters, and the fact that he did so in many of his letters shows what a major issue it was. Here, he told slaves to give their masters full respect, whether they were Christians or not. That must have been tough, especially if their masters were unreasonable and cruel. However, Paul knew that if Christian slaves acted aggressively and rudely towards their masters, it would give the faith a bad name.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. It is always sad when accusations are made, and it’s particularly tragic when a church leader is the one being accused. However, that’s all a part of being human. I often hear people say things like: “You wouldn’t expect such things to happen in a church.” My question would be: “Why? If a church is made up of sinners, then surely such things are sadly inevitable.” I do not find bad behaviour in any way acceptable. I simply believe that it’s inevitable, and the whole history of the Church indicates that this is true. We should all be extremely disappointed when things go wrong, but at the same time, we should ensure we have effective procedures in place to cope when they do. That was precisely why Paul wrote to Timothy in the way that he did. Paul followed the usual Jewish legal po

1 Timothy 5:17-18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” As the early Church grew, it inevitably had to face the issue of caring for its leaders. One of the very practical issues was that of pay. Paul had often supported himself through his work as a tent maker, but he had always insisted that it was appropriate for churches to take responsibility for paying for their leaders. Here he refers to the Old Testament law concerning oxen. When the sheaves of corn had been harvested, they would be laid out on the threshing floor and oxen would walk across them, often tethered to a post. The farmer was obviously keen not to lose too much of his crop, but he was commanded not to muzzle the ox. That wasn’t out of kindness to the ox so much as to ensure that he kept workin

1 Timothy 5:8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. In days before the welfare state, caring for relatives could be a massive responsibility, but Paul was clear that it was fundamental to Christian faith. It was usual in his society for families to care for one another, so it was crucial that the Christian Church didn’t lag behind. He could hardly have been stronger in his language. If anyone neglected their family responsibilities, they were worse than an unbeliever. It was unthinkable. Caring for our families is very different today. The state provides a huge range of care and pensions ensure that families are not alone in providing financial support for older people. Even so, the responsibility that families bear is still very great, and we should be grateful for the many charities that seek to help. One of them is Care for the Family, which offers a wide range of support for parenting, m

1 Timothy 5:1-2 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. In recent years, endless investigations have revealed that abuse exists throughout our society. Upon the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report in 2021, the BBC’s Mark Easton wrote, “There is barely a corner of this country’s institutional, cultural or spiritual life untarnished by the activities of abusers.” Easton noted that wherever the inquiry looked, it found abuse. Tragically, the churches came in for severe criticism, and every Christian denomination has had to take a hard look at itself. Treating people lovingly, graciously and wisely is a responsibility that we all have, but Paul was particularly concerned for his friend Timothy to get this right. Church leaders find themselves in a vu

1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. By the time Paul wrote these words to Timothy, they had been colleagues for about 15 years, so Timothy wasn’t particularly young. The Greek word for youth used here can describe anyone of military age, which went up to 40. Timothy was probably in his 30s, but his older friend Paul knew that there would be people looking critically at the relative inexperience of Timothy, and Paul wanted him to do everything to resist it. Interestingly, Paul clearly wasn’t intending for Timothy to rebuke those who looked down on him. Timothy needed to respond to his detractors by the sheer quality of his life. By setting a good example in his speech and conduct, his critics would be silenced. His love, faith and integrity would let them know what sort of a man he was. I am sure that Paul would have thoroughly approved of our society’s sensiti

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” There is a great deal of emphasis on physical fitness in our society, which is a good thing. Gym membership is higher than it has ever been, but just because people are members of a gym, it doesn’t mean they ever attend! One survey in the USA revealed that 67 per cent of people didn’t make any use of their gym membership, and suggested that gyms build their business models on the assumption of huge non-attendance. If you are into keeping fit, that’s great. Our bodies are a gift from God, and it’s important that we look after them. Paul acknowledged that physical training has some value, but it is vastly outshone by godliness, which he saw as being valuable for all things, bringing blessing both for this life and the one to come. If godly training is so important, we need to know what it looks like. Paul would have seen it as a combination of good teaching, worship

1 Timothy 3:1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honourable position.” One of the key tasks for Paul and Timothy was to find good leaders. Without godly and effective leadership, the Church was never going to thrive. In this chapter, Paul spelt out the qualities that a church leader needs, and this list hasn’t really changed much over the past 1,900 years. A church leader still needs to have good relationships within their family. They must be faithful, hospitable, able teachers and gentle. It’s interesting that Paul felt the need to say that a leader shouldn’t be a heavy drinker, violent, quarrelsome or a lover of money, but no one could disagree with him. Paul also stated that a leader should not be a new Christian, and that people outside the church should speak well of them. Paul began these comments by speaking of those who aspired to be a church leader, and he wanted to encourage them. They were desiring an honourable position. I believe that is sti

1 Timothy 2:8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. Lifting up hands in worship has happened for thousands of years. The psalmists often referred to it. In Psalm 63:4, King David proclaimed: “I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.” However, by itself, lifting our hands in worship says nothing at all about what is happening in our hearts. A person could be living the most immoral life and thrust their hands into the air. Paul wanted to know that those who worshipped God in this way were doing so in the right spirit – that their hands were holy, and that they weren’t angry or stirring up controversy. When we worship God, we must come in holiness. Our minds must be focused on God. It is so easy for us to come to worship with our minds distracted. For that reason, it is often very helpful to make sure we have a time of quietness before we worship God. In that time, we can deliberately lay down all the

1 Timothy 2:1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them. A recent ComRes opinion poll revealed that twice as many people in the 18-34 age group prayed compared with those aged over 55. But regardless of age, the question is: what do we do when we pray? Here in our verse today, Paul encourages Timothy to have the right focus in his praying. Our natural condition is to be self-centred, so it is very easy for us to see prayer in an entirely selfish way. We pray for ourselves, our happiness, our health, our family, our future and so on. All of those things are perfectly proper subjects for prayer, but if they become the exclusive focus of our prayers, something has gone seriously wrong. Paul reminded Timothy that the priority of his life needed to be to pray for others, particularly those in authority. This was especially challenging at the time, because many of the rulers were violently opposed to Christians. However, Paul tells

1 Timothy 1:16 God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realise that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. The apostle Paul never forgot his colourful past. He had been so committed to his Jewish faith that he had gone to extraordinary lengths to destroy the Church. He was convinced that Jesus was the enemy of everything he held dear, so he enthusiastically threw his energies into trying to crush Christianity. When his life was turned around on the road to Damascus, it changed everything. He came to realise how wrong he had been, and to see the wickedness of what he had done. He felt that he was the worst possible sinner. He knew he didn’t deserve the love and forgiveness of God. It was given entirely because of God’s mercy. Mercy is a wonderful word, but it can be very hard to receive because we understand the principle of justice. If I exceed the speed limit, I expect that there will be

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. I seem to be surrounded by people telling me how tired they are. Perhaps it’s just the effect I have on them! However we are feeling right now, there are limits to our strength. Paul had an extremely busy ministry, and he was fully aware that he needed God’s special strength for the work he had to do. This verse reminds us of Paul’s words to the Philippians: “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). That’s a bold claim, but it was Paul’s personal experience as he faced up to continual resistance and challenges. Few Christian leaders have faced the range of difficulties that he did. He was confronted by violent opposition on many occasions, endured years of imprisonment, suffered three shipwrecks and was constantly exposed to abuse and danger. When he talks about God giving him strength, he is worth listening to! There can be no doubt of God’s ability to give us the strength that w

1 Timothy 1:5-6 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. You only need to look at the religious section in your local bookshop to see that our society is still interested in religion. There is a massive appetite to learn about the meaning and purpose of life, God and the universe, and there is enormous confusion too! We have a great deal in common with Paul. The world of his day was stacked full of different religions and philosophies, so when Christianity emerged, it had to compete with any number of rivals. It wasn’t easy to establish a church, and Paul knew better than anyone how tough the fight was. In this letter, Paul was keen to encourage his young friend Timothy as a church leader. We get the impression that Timothy was a gentle and rather timid man, so Paul was keen for him to be clear on what his role was. He had left Timothy behind in Ephesus so

1 Timothy 1:1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Saviour and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. The apostle Paul always started his letters by making it very clear why he was writing. He wanted everyone to know that he was doing so because God had called him to be an apostle. The word ‘apostle’ means someone who has been sent out, and Paul had no doubt that Jesus, who met him on the road to Damascus, was the one who had commissioned him. The letter which follows is full of warmth and affection. Paul had great respect for Timothy and rated him highly, and he wanted to give him encouragement and guidance for his ministry. I wonder how you would describe yourself and the work that God has called you to do. Paul had a very special role, but we do as well. We have been given unique gifts by God, and today he is calling us to use them to bless other people. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you were responding: “But I’m only a homemaker, shop worker, nurse,

Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. We’ve probably all had moments when friends have said something which made us go: “Ouch!” Perhaps they were giving us a loving warning or strongly disagreeing with our opinion. The pain was real but, when we got over it, we realised they said it because they cared. That doesn’t mean they were necessarily right, of course, but the reason they spoke in the way that they did was because of the friendship. Superficially, it is nicer to be kissed than wounded, but the writer of Proverbs makes the point that what really matters is where the kiss or wound comes from. If an enemy kisses you, it might feel nice for a moment, but it is a lie. There is no love or commitment behind it, and you are much better off without it. A wound that comes from a sincere friend is infinitely more valuable. Speaking truth is never an easy matter. We are continually tempted to say the things that other people want to hear and which will make them

Proverbs 27:4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. The Bible introduces us to lots of jealous people. Most famous among them are Joseph’s brothers. They were so consumed with jealousy that they planned to kill him. Throughout history, jealousy has destroyed many lives, and the writer of Proverbs was fully aware of its terrible power. Jealousy starts slowly and quietly. It begins when we look at someone else and see they have something we don’t. The more we reflect on it, the more we realise there is no reason why they should have more than we’ve got. It isn’t fair. Unchecked, those thoughts flower into feelings of jealousy and rage. When I’ve chatted with people in prison, they have often traced their crime back to thoughts which started quietly and innocently enough but grew into violent actions. We will all, from time to time, have little twinges of envy. The question is: how do we prevent those feelings developing into full-grown, destructive jealousy? The ap

Proverbs 27:1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. Life is so unpredictable that the encouragement to live for today has to be sound advice. We don’t know what today will contain, let alone tomorrow! Bragging about what is going to happen tomorrow has to be completely foolish. In his letter, James describes a cocky businessman who had decided that he was going to go to certain town and stay there for a year and make a fat profit. James pops the balloon of his self-confidence by pointing out that “life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil” (James 4:14-16). Planning for the future isn’t wrong. Planning is wise and helpful, but it always needs to be done with humility, because our life is in God’s hands, not our own. Years ago, Christians often used to say to one anot

Proverbs 26:20 Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. These words couldn’t be more relevant to today’s world, in which gossip can be communicated faster than lightning. Words have always had the power to destroy, and many of the Proverbs focus on the danger of them being used carelessly. The trouble with words is that we all use so many of them, and it is easy for them to cause hurt, pain and division. Proverbs 17:27 reads: “A truly wise person uses few words.” I’m really grateful for that observation but, if I’m honest, I’m not sure what to do with it. I spend my days writing, mentoring, pastoring, preaching and teaching people, to say nothing of relating to the members of my family. Words are fundamental to the way we communicate, and although I could possibly use fewer words, I will still need to use a large number of them! The writer of the Proverbs is concerned that we use our words to build, not to destroy. Building words are ones that bring strength and courage to o