The Family of Faith

2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

An epistle (Colossians 4:16) is a letter from one person, or a group of people, to another. The epistle of Second Timothy was from Paul to a preacher named Timothy. Timothy was a young man (1 Timothy 4:12) but possessed a strong love for the Lord. Paul testified of this truth repeatedly and today’s passage shows Paul commenting on Timothy’s “unfeigned faith.” There was something refreshingly genuine about Timothy’s walk with the Lord. Though Paul was speaking specifically about Timothy’s faith, he made mention that this faith did not start with Timothy. This faith had been passed from his grandmother Lois to his mother Eunice, and then on to Timothy. In fact, he was being taught scripture from the time he was a child (2 Timothy 3:15). This type of upbringing yielded a young man of “unfeigned faith” who further matured into adulthood with spiritual fortitude worthy of emulation.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): The most important decision you will ever make revolves around trusting Christ as your Saviour. Ask dad and mom how they learned to believe in God and when they came to trust in Him. The next most important thing you can do is to learn the Bible. Do you think Timothy sat quietly and listened during his family Bible study time?

• (For everyone): Do you consider your family a family of faith? Are you taking the time to instill faith in the hearts of your children? Have you made it a matter of priority to teach your children that God can be trusted?

• What role did scripture play in building Timothy’s family’s faith? Does your family spend the time necessary to help insure that faith will be built in the life of each family member?

PRAYER THOUGHTS

• Ask God to build a hedge of faith around your family.

• Ask God to teach you how to begin building faith in the lives of everyone in your home.

SONG: God, Give Us Christian Homes

Pastor Andrew Ray

Devotions on Faith