Journal

Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:

• A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
• A Guide to Self-Reflection
• A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text: 1 Timothy 4:9-16

⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶ Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 4:12

• What is Apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy regarding establishing spiritual authority?  
• What are the criteria I use to establish/evaluate spiritual authority which run contrary to this?

1 Timothy 4:15

• Apostle Paul’s exhortation assumes that Timothy will demonstrate progress in godliness, and furthermore, this progress will be visible to others.  How does this assumption challenge the contemporary notion that my spiritual growth is strictly between me and God?

1 Timothy 4:16

• Who are the people who are affected by my personal faithfulness to God?  And how are they affected?

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text:

1 Timothy 4:1-8

¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, ³ who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

⁶ If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 4:1-2

• What is the relationship between hypocrisy, deceit and searing of the conscience?
• How would a person with a seared conscience respond to truth?

1 Timothy 4:3-5

• How did the false teachers of that time try to address the problem of sin?  Why is this futile?  How do I try to address the problem of sin in my life?

1 Timothy 4:7-8

• What are some “myths” that prevail in today’s Christian pop culture about spirituality or what it means to be a Christian?
• How does the fact that one needs to train oneself to be godly contradict such falsehood?
• What are the characteristics of physical training that would also apply in training to be godly?  What are the steps that I can take to train myself to be godly?

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text:

1 Timothy 3:8-16

⁸ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. ⁹ They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. ¹¹ Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.          ¹³ For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, ¹⁵ if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. ¹⁶ Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

    vindicated by the Spirit,

        seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

    believed on in the world,

        taken up in glory.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 3:8-10

• A deacon means “one who serves.” Why would it be important for a deacon to “hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience”? What would happen to a deacon who does not?  How can I keep hold of the gospel with a clear conscience?
• Why should character come before service?  In what ways do modern day Christians ignore this?  What character issues do I need to work on in order to be a person that is “dignified” and “blameless”?

1 Timothy 3:4, 12

• Why is it important that an overseer or a deacon manage his own family well?  How am I managing my personal affairs? 

1 Timothy 3:14-15

• How does Apostle Paul describe the church?  For each description, what is the implication for how I ought to live?

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

¹ The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, ⁵ for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷ Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 3:1-4

• What is involved in being an overseer?  What aspects of life does the list cover?  
• In what ways am I seeking status over responsibility?

1 Timothy 3:6-7

• An overseer is equivalent to a pastor or an elder.   What are some reasons a recent convert might become conceited if he were appointed an overseer?
• How does this passage warn against compartmentalization of one’s faith?  List examples of compartmentalization of faith that result in “falling into the condemnation of the devil.”

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text: 1 Timothy 2:8-15

⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; ⁹ likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. ¹¹ Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. ¹⁵ Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 2:8

• How is anger and disputing contrary to prayer?  In what ways can my attitude towards others prevent me from having proper reverence and submission to God in prayer?  

1 Timothy 2:9-10

• What personal choices (other than clothing), which the world regards as matters of personal taste and freedom, should similarly come under the authority of the teachings of Scripture? What practical applications do I need to make in order to live in a way “proper” for those who “profess godliness”? 

1 Timothy 2:11-12

• Apostle Paul wisely advised the women to be silent in the church because of the cultural context in which they lived.  What are some ways that I need to curb or limit my freedom in order to be a good witness to others?  

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text:

1 Timothy 2:1-7

¹ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.    ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 2:1-4 

• How does v. 4 address common doubts and misconceptions about God’s “fairness”?  
• What implication does v. 4 have on the way that I view my role and calling in life?  How does this challenge the way that I view people that I encounter?  

1 Timothy 2:6

• A ransom is the price given to free a slave.  What are the implications of the fact that Christ has given himself as a ransom for me, and what is it that he has freed me from?  In what ways can I live out the freedom he died to win for me?

1 Timothy 2:7 

• What hinders me from fully affirming the same life purpose as Apostle Paul?

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text:

1 Timothy 1:11-20

[…] ¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

¹² I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, ¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸ This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, ¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, ²⁰ among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 1:11, 18 

• How did Apostle Paul view the Gospel?  What are some things that have been entrusted to me and how should I view those things?  Am I stewarding well the things entrusted to me?

1 Timothy 1:12-14

• Whom does Apostle Paul with helping him be able to faithfully serve God? For what purposes do I seek God’s strength?  When have I experienced being strengthened by him?
• Fill in the following for yourself, and reflect on your testimony of how God has saved you: 

       “Though formerly I was a _________________________, I received mercy […]”

1 Timothy 1:15-20

• What does Apostle Paul’s life illustrate according to v. 16?  Why is this an important lesson for me to learn?  
• Why did Apostle Paul give Timothy the instructions that he did?  What was the consequence for those who had rejected Paul’s instructions?  What can we infer about the word of God and our steadfastness in faith?

Prayer 

Journal

• • Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
    • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
    • A Guide to Self-Reflection
    • A Chart to help articulate feelings

Bible Text:

1 Timothy 1:1-11

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

² To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. ⁵ The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Reflection & Application

1 Timothy 1:3-4

• What do you think made the “different doctrine,” “myths,” and talk of “endless genealogies” more attractive than the gospel?  What peripheral Christian issues do I get attracted to?
• The consequence of devotion to false teachings, myths and genealogies was controversy.  To what things do I devote my time, thoughts, and energy, which end up promoting controversy?

1 Timothy 1:5 

• How can I concretely work on having a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith in order to love?

Prayer 

• Journal & Pray  

• Read • Remember • Reflect

  Read the passages slowly. Write out the verses you want to remember. Write how God spoke to you through the passages. Jot down your observation and reflection in the verses.

Click HERE for “A Guide to Journaling & Prayer”

Click HERE for the commentary and Bible Project sketch notes for the Book of 1 Timothy.

• Journal & Pray  

• Read • Remember • Reflect

  Read the passages slowly. Write out the verses you want to remember. Write how God spoke to you through the passages. Jot down your observation and reflection in the verses.

Click HERE for “A Guide to Journaling & Prayer”

Click HERE for the commentary and Bible Project sketch notes for the Book of 1 Timothy.