1 Timothy 1:1-11; Psalm 105:1-6

1 Timothy 1:1-11
This is a personal letter from Paul to Timothy. Paul had been released from prison, and  he and Timothy had traveled to various churches Paul had founded in order to check on them. When they visited the church at Ephesus, they found some problems there. And so Paul left the younger Timothy to lead the Ephesian church. Paul then wrote this letter of encouragement and instruction. It contains many helpful instructions that also apply to us in the 21st century church.

We see obvious affection between Paul and Timothy when Paul calls him "my true son in the faith." And he prays for grace, mercy, and peace for him.

Apparently Paul and Timothy had found some false teaching in the Ephesian church. Paul tells Timothy not to let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. If we're not careful we can be sidetracked with spiritual questions that have no definitive answer in the scriptures. This is a waste of precious time which we should be spending on studying the truth and sharing the gospel about the life and work of Jesus. Other times we may be encouraged to pledge our allegiance to a certain leader (past or present). We need to be careful about anything that doesn't help us or others to live a life of faith in God. vv. 3-4

In v. 5, Paul states that the purpose of his "instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith." Some had turned away from these things and were spending their time and effort on meaningless discussion about the law of Moses. Paul goes on to explain that the law was not intended for those who do what is right. Rather it was meant for the lawless, and he goes on to mention some examples of sinful actions that contradict the wholesome teaching of the Good News. These are not necessarily politically correct teachings! See vv. 9-11

Psalm 105:1-6
Psalm 104 praised the Lord as the Creator. Psalm 105 extols Him as our Redeemer and the One who provides and cares for us.

We are to thank the Lord and call on His name and make known to others His mighty deeds. We are called on to sing praises to Him and to tell others of His wondrous works. We are to seek Him--we do this through reading and studying His Word and through prayer.