Reading: 2 Timothy 3: 14-17
No one wakes up one day and finds themselves to be a fully developed, totally mature Christian. Our walk of faith is a long journey, one that only ends when we stand before Jesus in eternity. Who we are today as a believer is not who we will be in a year or in a decade. Even though we never get “there”, we are all on a ‘journey towards perfection ‘, as John Wesley liked to say.
No one journeys alone. In our passage today, Paul speaks of Timothy knowing the Scriptures since infancy. Earlier in 2nd Timothy Paul speaks of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice living out and teaching their faith to him. Then Paul joins this “great cloud of witness” as he too pours into and mentors Timothy. To this crowd Paul also adds the Scriptures. In the Word of God there is much instruction and guidance too.
Over the course of our faith lives we find people who poured into us. These persons could be a pastor, a boss, a spouse, a friend, a colleague. People of faith in our lives have taught, mentored, encouraged, corrected, guided, and loved on us as they shared their faith with us so that ours would grow. For each we are grateful and thankful and always indebted.
As we grow in our faith, at some point, we too become teachers, mentors, guides. We see the spark of God light up in a new believer and the Holy Spirit leads us to walk alongside this person. Like Paul, we pour into our friend new to the faith. Like all those who poured into us, we in turn pour into others. We too become part of that great cloud of witness. We are blessed to be part of the family of God. This pattern of discipleship began with Jesus, when He gathered 12 around Him and began to pour into them. May we go and do likewise.
