Day 254: Acts 16:1–3

He went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek (v. 1).

One of my favorite parts of studying Paul’s life is exploring some of his friendships; yet as many as he had, one would differ from all the rest. Many years later I’m sure his heart was washed with emotion as he recalled his return to Lystra and the risk he took on a young man named Timothy. From the very beginning, Timothy was special. Allow Scripture to shed some light on his distinctives.

1. Timothy was a unique choice because of his youthfulness. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul counseled Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because of his youth, yet even this piece of advice came a full fifteen years after Timothy had joined Paul. Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:15 demonstrate that in spite of his youth, Timothy was fertile soil from which ministry grew: “From childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (hcsb). I believe Paul saw Timothy’s tremendous potential for fruit bearing. The opportunity to train him while he was still young and teachable was probably a benefit to Paul’s ministry, not a hindrance.

Do you know any young people who are trying to be genuine servants of God? If so, they may be discouraged because no one is taking them seriously. Why not make a point of encouraging a young servant through a note, a call, or a pat on the back?

2. Timothy had a unique upbringing. He came from a family with a Jewish mother and a Greek father. You may have an insight into Timothy’s childhood because of differences in your own parents’ belief systems. Growing up in a home with one believing and one unbelieving parent is hard. In those days, having a Jewish mother who had accepted Christ and a Greek father who didn’t believe would have been both difficult and different.

My generation was the first to be raised on films and fairy tales in living color. Movies like Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast redefine romance as two people from different worlds falling deeply in love. Typically their only problem is their unyielding family. Love ultimately overcomes and they live happily ever after. We need to teach our children the truth about real romance and love that lasts. The sparks that fly from two different worlds converging in one couple usually end up burning someone!

Paul delivered a strong exhortation in 2 Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” The Greek word for “yoked” is zugos, which means “a yoke serving to couple any two things together and a coupling, a beam of a balance which unites two scales, hence a balance.” In the next verse Paul asked a question to make his point: “What harmony is there?” When two completely different belief systems are joined together, the result often is a lack of balance and harmony.

You may have grown up in this kind of home, so you know how rocky this life can be. Perhaps you may presently be in a home where spiritual beliefs differ drastically. If so, I hope you receive some encouragement from Timothy’s experience. God can prevail and bear wonderful fruit from an unequally yoked couple as we will see, even though their lives are often more complicated than they had to be.

3. Timothy had a unique perspective. He had been intimately exposed to three practices he and Paul would encounter in ministry: agnosticism because of his father’s unbelief, Judaism because of his mother’s heritage, and Christianity because of his mother’s acceptance of Christ as Messiah and Savior. Even though he did not have the security of two believing parents, he gained an insight that would prove valuable in ministry. God wasted nothing in either Paul’s or Timothy’s background. He won’t waste anything in your background either, if you will allow Him to use you.

4. Timothy had a unique maturity. In our society we’ve almost become convinced that bad influences are stronger than good. Timothy certainly is evidence to the contrary. We have a wonderful biblical precedent proving that godly influence can carry a much heavier weight than ungodly influence.

The words of 2 Timothy 1:5 offer strong encouragement to anyone married to an unbeliever. Paul wrote of the “sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also” (hcsb). Yes, you can rear godly children in spite of imperfect circumstances. Lois and Eunice lived their faith. Timothy saw genuine examples of faithfulness. Their lives were devoted to God even when the company left. They were genuine—not perfect, but real. Their sincerity won Timothy to the truth.

Hang in there, parent! Let your children see the sincerity of your faith. Let them see you praying and trusting. Nothing carries the weight of sincere faith!

For Christ, Paul sacrificed many things dear to the Jew: marriage, children, strong extended family. God honored Paul’s sacrifice by giving him other priceless gifts. Timothy was one of those gifts. He filled a void in Paul’s life that no one else ever matched. Years later Paul described Timothy as “my dear son.” Perhaps God thought a crusty old preacher needed a young whippersnapper as much as Timothy needed him.