But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.   I Timothy 6:11

I put myself in young Timothy’s shoes.  Who is he?  What right does he have to his calling?  He probably thought that he was fortunate to be in Paul’s little missionary band. He did not have a clean Jewish pedigree like Paul or the other Apostles.  We already noted that his father was Greek, and his mother Jewish. He was born and raised, not in the Holy Land, but in Turkey.  He did not have an illustrious academic career like Paul nor was he a driven person like Paul.  There are many indications that Timothy was well aware of his deficiencies.

In light of all this, I find it astounding that Paul addresses him as a “man of God.”  He is God’s man. Not Paul’s. He stands in his own right as a true follower of Jesus Christ.  In the heat of the battle he has come of age!

I am amazed as I consider all this.  I gather that people who have committed their lives to Jesus and who seek to follow Him wherever he leads, are, whether they know it or not, spiritual brothers and sisters.  It is simple, we are in the family of faith by grace and we have a new set of brothers and sisters, people like we are.  That does not mean that we are equal in all things, it means that we are guided by the same star, our saving and keeping Lord Jesus.  We make up a new family of faith, pulled incessantly by the uniting power of the Holy Spirit. This is not easy because our cultures frown on such.  But we who are in this new family of Christ’s love revel in the miracle that binds us as one regardless of class, race or history.  Is this not a miracle of divine grace?  I know it is.