What I’m Thinking: Faithful Living

In the opening of the second letter to Timothy, the author offers a sound basis for faithful living: a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the opening of the Second Letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:1-14). In it, our author commends Timothy’s faith, but also commends [or credits -ed.] its strength to the faith of his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. Timothy, it seems, comes by his dedication to God through the earnest and active and faithful work of his family.

And so, to him has been given a spirit, not a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-discipline.

Is there any more appropriate definition for a faithful life than that?

Power: the ability to make change in the world.

Love: that which guides the change. Love makes changes that are beneficial for others. It does not simply think of oneself.

And self-discipline: Not reliance on even mother or grandmother to restrain ourselves, but to make that part of our own living, our own acting.

Power and love and self-discipline: These are the spirit of the Church.

I also wish you a L’shana Tova, a Happy New Year. I’m recording this on Rosh Hoshanah, and last night I was blessed to be invited to participate in the Rosh Hoshanah observances at Ahava ‘Aina, the Jewish community here in East Hawai’i. So I wish you a very Happy New Year.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.