Paying In

Read: 2 Timothy 1:1-10

Last Sunday, our 8-year-old daughter gave her life to Jesus. She was playing in her room and sensed God’s touch on her heart. His presence was so real it initially frightened her. We always told her she would know when the time was right, and she quickly recognized what was happening. She prayed for the courage to tell us, and our hearts were beyond full as she asked Jesus to forgive her. That’s how God changes the world. One surrendered heart at a time. God intends for older believers to invest in His Kingdom by equipping tomorrow’s church leaders. The apostle Paul modeled this responsibility in his relationship with a young pastor named Timothy. 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are Paul’s encouragement and instruction to his friend. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul shares, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” Timothy learned sincere faith from the older believers in his life – being loved, instructed, equipped and encouraged to fulfill God’s purpose for his life. I now feel a new weight of teaching my daughter to grow in Christ as she lives out the life He has planned for her. As I invest in my daughter, her sister, their friends and my own younger friends, I am paying into work that will far outlast my own.]]>