For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
–2Timothy 1:7, New International Version
Timothy enters the New Testament scene just past the half-way point of Acts at the beginning of chapter 16. Right away, it’s written how Timothy was “well spoken of” and then Timothy joins Paul on the journey traveling from city to city delivering “the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (Acts 16:4-5, NIV) By the time we get to 2 Timothy1:7, Timothy has traveled extensively with Paul—and sometimes, he stayed behind—it seems that he did what he was asked to do.
Often times when we hear the word “servant,” we tend to think of a person who serves at the beck and call of their employer, their master. In today’s culture, being a servant is not necessarily looked at in a positive way. We might even think that a servant is timid or weak. Was Timothy a servant? I think so. But, was he timid? I don’t think so.
Timothy went where he was needed and served Paul as was needed. The thing of it is that he served with strength—with faith. His faith was well grounded—both his mother and grandmothers were believers. Even more, though, his faith was grounded in the hope and love found in Christ. And with his faith grounded in Christ, Timothy was given the gift of a “spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline,” giving him the necessary ingredients to lead with a servant’s heart. In this verse, Timothy is being encouraged to remember that the spirit that God gives us is powerful, loving and beyond our selves.
In the same way, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity.” Instead, by putting our trust in Christ and His teaching, the power of the Holy Spirit will help us to love others and serve without being so distracted by our ‘selves.’
© 2004 Ginny Rogers
