SCRIPTURE
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5
“ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures. Which are able to make you wise for salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14 and 15
SPOTLIGHT
If you knew that you had 3 priceless gifts you could give away, and in addition, they were gifts that everyone needs, would you become the best gift giver possible? The Apostle Paul identified to Timothy, 3 PRICELESS GIFTS YOU NEED TO GIVE TO EVERYONE. Every person needs to give these gifts to their friends. Every parent and grandparent need to give these 3 gifts to their children and grandchildren. They are more valuable than a family heirloom, or a large inheritance. Let me identify them for you.
A sincere faith in Jesus Christ is the first gift. In verse 5, Paul commended Timothy for possessing a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Timothy’s Christian living was a result of the faith of his mother and grandmother. Grandma Lois and Momma Eunice, were strong believers in Jesus Christ being the one, true living God. Most likely, Eunice’s husband who was Timothy’s
father, was not a believer, because he is not mentioned. That could have made for a difficult marriage and home life for Timothy, but through the working of the Holy Spirit, the lives of these two women impacted Timothy more than his Dad. The faith of Eunice and Lois was never insincere, deceitful, contrived, or put on. They were the “real deal.”
You can give away a wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ to everyone you know and meet. Parents who are married to an unbeliever, or single parents, need to be encouraged. Grandparents who are wanting their grandchildren to become believers, need to take note. Your sincere faith in Jesus Christ can capture the heart your children and grandchildren. In no way are you an artificial, shallow Christian, who has one foot in heaven and the other in the world. A genuine faith describes someone who has a very personal, ongoing, life changing faith in Jesus. It is an all-in faith.
A generational faith in Jesus Christ is the second gift. Paul commended Timothy for being a 3rd generation Christian. We do not know the story, but what we do know is that Lois, who was Timothy’s grandmother, was a sincere, strong believer. Don’t miss the point. She had raised a daughter with the same convictions. The Good News had been successfully passed along to Timothy. The Christian life made sense to this young man. He was a 3rd generation believer.
You can give away a generational faith to everyone you know and meet. This is where you decide that you want your strong faith in Jesus Christ to be passed onto many generations in your family. Your prayer is that faith in Jesus will mark each generation in your family history. However, you will have to initiate this generational faith. You will have to begin to pray for the unseen future generations of your family. It will be your responsibility to somehow record the story of your family’s walk with God over many years. Won’t it be astounding to have a 5th generation believer come up to you in heaven, to thank you for “starting the ball rolling?”
A Bible-based faith in Jesus Christ is the third gift. In 2 Timothy 3:14,15, [read Scripture above,] Paul commended Timothy for having a faith that was not feeling-based, but Bible-based. This young man knew what he believed and why he believed it. He had been taught God’s Word by his mother and grandmother since he was an infant. These two women had taught Timothy the way Deuteronomy 6 instructs parents to teach the Bible. The outcome was 2-fold;
#1. Timothy became totally convinced that truth was not a concept to debate but found in personally knowing Jesus Christ, the one true living God.
#2. Godly teaching had made Timothy wise beyond his years. That is why Paul chose to personally mentor him.
You can give away a Bible-based faith to everyone you know and meet. Do you know what you believe and why you believe it? This world needs people who know truth and wisdom because it is these two qualities that provide purpose for living in a world that can be very sad at times. Worldly learning provides relativism and humanism as the answers to life questions. The Bible says that Godly truth and wisdom will lead man to his highest fulfillment. As a believer, you can lead people to read and study God’s Word. Making the Bible your highest written authority will point people to want to know what God says about a subject, rather than just opening it up for discussion.
Are you going to make it a life goal to give these 3 priceless gifts to everyone possible? I am a believer because I have been blessed by family I have never met, who began giving these 3 gifts down through the generations. May you and I be found faithful to be generous givers.
SOMETHING TO DO
#1. Are you a sincere believer, or a shallow believer? Do you walk the way you talk?
#2. Is your life goal to see your family’s family follow Jesus Christ? What steps are you taking to see this happen?
#3. What can you do to become a stronger believer? Perhaps buy a study Bible, or join a Bible study group, or take notes while the Pastor is preaching?
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me to bless the generations to come, with the 3 priceless gifts that have been seen in Timothy’s life. Show me how to live like Gramma Lois and Momma Eunice. AMEN.