In this episode of Add Bible, we wrap up our exploration of 1 Timothy with a focus on its final chapter. Speaker Alan J. Huth draws from his personal Bible reading journals to provide insights into the powerful teachings of this epistle. As we delve into Paul’s instructions to Timothy, we reflect on timeless principles that challenge believers to pursue righteousness and godliness while warning against the snares of material temptation. Through poignant journal reflections from various years, we see the transformative impact of consistent biblical engagement in personal and communal settings.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today brings us to the close of 1 Timothy. We are in chapter 6, the last chapter. Listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of the 21 verses of the last chapter of 1 Timothy.
SPEAKER 02 :
1 Timothy 6 Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers. Rather, they must serve all the better, since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which he will display at the proper time He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it, some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.
SPEAKER 03 :
We are going to finish off 1 Timothy with some journal entries from 1992, 2002, and 2012, all 10 years apart. So let’s look at the first journal, 1992, when all I wrote was 1 Timothy 6, and I didn’t write one thing about it. But at least it’s an indication that I did read on that day. So we’ll move on to the journal in 2002 when I was still in Thailand. And I wrote from Bangkok, leaving here today for Buriram to organize another new Gideon camp. We’ll stay in a home with the Texas Gideon. So once again, to explain what I was doing in Thailand, I was there on a Gideon International trip. I was visiting camps, and I found out there was a guy from Texas who had an orphanage there. So I was going to stay there, and I was on my way to Buriram to start this new camp and see this Gideon. I wrote about the last chapter of 1 Timothy. Godliness with contentment is great gain. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and often ruin themselves and others. Be careful what we love, godliness or money. Do not put hope in money, put it in God. Guard what has been entrusted to my care, Terry, family, Area 11 of the Gideons, and the Ezra Project. Interesting that I wrote about having the Ezra Project in my care because 2002 was the year I started this ministry. When I was writing this journal, it was a mere six months old. So let me go back to the day I started the Ezra Project and see what my journal entry was in 2002. On April 1st, 2002, I wrote, The first day of the rest of my life. Today I begin a dream, a passion to work on the Ezra Project full time. What a way to begin the day after Easter. Praise God for this marvelous opportunity. So that’s what I wrote in my journal the day I started the Ezra Project. That was 15 years ago. God has certainly blessed and preserved the desire of my heart to connect God’s people to God’s Word. In 2012, I actually didn’t read a chapter a day of 1 Timothy. I broke up some of the chapters into smaller, bite-sized pieces. So these entries from 1 Timothy 6 are actually two different days. The first day I read 1 through 10. The second day I read 11 through the end of the chapter. So here’s what I wrote in 2012. There are so many today who teach a different doctrine than the sound words of Jesus Christ and godliness in churches, homes, and communities. And it causes quarrels, envy, dissension, slander, constant friction among people. There is no honor, no trust, very little truth in anything today. Church, business, government. Imagine the contentment possible if we could agree and follow the teachings of Jesus. I continued to write, the desire to be rich or the love of money creates temptation. How we handle temptation determines whether we fall into a snare, senseless and harmless desires and ruin. That was day one. Let’s look at day two, the rest of the chapter. I wrote, I have been introduced from time to time as a, quote, man of God, quote. The first time it stunned me. But if I am one, I am to follow Paul’s advice. Flee the entrapment of wealth and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness, keeping the commandments, unstained and free from reproach. I am to guard the deposit entrusted to me, and I wrote in parentheses, the call to spread a passion for God’s word. And I finished this journal entry by writing, avoid contradictions to what has been entrusted to me. Don’t swerve. Let’s quickly summarize some principles in this last chapter of 1 Timothy. Paul tells Timothy in verse 3, If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. Well, that’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Those who are teaching a different doctrine, those who are not teaching the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, understand nothing. And unfortunately, there are many out there today in this category. Paul says they cause controversy. They quarrel about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people. And oh, we have plenty of that today, don’t we? But Paul goes on to a second very important principle in verse 6. He says now there is great gain in godliness with contentment. He reminds us we brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of the world. Godliness brings contentment. But then he goes on to say, but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Money is not the root of all evil. The love of money is the root of all evil. Being rich or being wealthy is certainly not sinful. In fact, it’s often a blessing from the Lord. But our focus should be on godliness, not money or wealth. Godliness brings contentment. And then Paul reminds Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach. And lastly, he says to Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. And so as we close 1 Timothy, maybe these last couple of instructions we can take to heart. Fight the good fight of faith. Keep God’s commandments unstained and free from reproach. And guard what has been entrusted to you. Whatever that is, whatever God has entrusted to you to build the kingdom here on earth, Paul says, guard it. And he warns us not to swerve from our faith. 1 Timothy was about combating false teaching. It’s about solid ground of how Christians should behave. And it’s about practical, visible changes in the lives of those who believe the gospel. We learned that there is one God, one mediator between Him and men, the Lord Jesus Christ. We learned a list of qualifications for Christian leadership. We learn how to live a blameless life in Christ. Surely we all thank the Lord for this short book, 1 Timothy. But there’s a second book that Paul writes to Timothy, and it’s the last words Paul ever wrote. So tune in to AdBible and listen to 2 Timothy to see the last words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy and to us. Father, we thank you for the instruction of your word. Though sometimes it may be uncomfortable in our culture today, we appreciate biblical truth. As you reminded Timothy, keep the commandments. Guard what is entrusted to us. Holy Spirit, help us do that so that people see Jesus in us like they saw Jesus in Timothy. Guide and direct our steps. In your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. It’s the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Research tells us Bible reading usually tanks around the holidays. We get busy with the holidays and can’t find time to read our Bibles? Really? What if God got too busy at the holidays and couldn’t find time to hear your prayers or provide for your needs or send out his angels to protect you while shopping? Fortunately, he is never too busy for us. Aren’t you thankful? I encourage you this holiday season to stay the course, keep the pace, and stay spiritually disciplined. Keep listening or reading your Bible. I hope you’re never too busy to invest in your relationship with God, whom we celebrate this time of year. We count our blessings at Thanksgiving. I hope we count His blessings at Thanksgiving this year. My family has a tradition. Around the Thanksgiving table, we each share one thing we’re thankful for. Try it this Thanksgiving and see if even the Lord even shows up in what we’re thankful for. Next, we celebrate the birth of Jesus at this holiday season, at Christmas. Is it acceptable to stop reading His Word as we lead up to that celebration? John 1.14 reminds us, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. He is the word. Best way to honor the season of his birth is to stay close to him in your Bible. So my encouragement is for you to stay the course this holiday season. My guess is you will have a more peaceful holiday season by staying close to the one we thank and celebrate.
