paul came also to derbe and to lystra. a disciple was there, named timothy, the son of a jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a greek. – [acts 16:1]
i thank God whom i serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as i remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. as i remember your tears, i long to see you, that i may be filled with joy. 5 i am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother lois and your mother eunice and now, i am sure, dwells in you as well. – [II timothy 1:3-5]
how important is a mother’s sincere faith?
paul’s second letter to timothy holds a dear place to many, as it is considered to be the last letter written by the apostle. his deep friendship and mentorship with timothy is evident here, in that paul remembers him constantly.
timothy lived in a unique situation that allowed him to have an effective ministry. being jewish on his mother’s side and greek on his father’s side, he could easily preach the gospel of the jewish messiah to the greek world, who also had salvation freely available through jesus. timothy knew and understood both perspectives, and paul was quick to mentor such a young man with such a unique ministry.
most of all, paul is reminded of timothy’s sincere faith.
without sincere faith, no talent, no skill, no amount of persuasion can effectively draw people to Christ or draw us into relationship with him. it is our faith that gives us victory that overcomes the world (I john 5:4) and our faith that allows us to experience the power of Christ at work in us.
a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother
timothy’s importance to paul, and to the church as a whole, is a testament to the faith of his mother and grandmother. there is an amazing power in the discipleship of a mother who loves God and prays for her family, teaching them the word. timothy was a living testament to this: his faith, so well known to us today, first dwelt in his grandmother, his mother, and then in him.
the seeds we plant as we raise our children in faith will not return void. we may not see it in such a clear way, but we can know that a praying, believing, mother has an astonishing impact in our children as is so clearly seen in the life of timothy.
~ jason soroski