People express joy in distinct ways: some expressions involve tears, some laughter, and some simple words of praise; yet each expression of joy stems from the goodness of God. With all these variations, the Bible repeats a few expressions in conjunction with people having joy. Several times we are told that the people of God rejoiced with great joy (1 Kings 1:40; Nehemiah 12:43). This joy on the part of the people of God generally manifested itself as a vocal expression of praise. Additionally, the Bible also connects joy with music, like the noise of a harp (Isaiah 24:8) and singing (Psalm 95:1-2). Though the Bible conveys various types of expressions, true joy cannot be hidden.
An epistle (Colossians 4:16) is a letter from one person, or a group of people, to another. The epistle of Second Timothy was from Paul to a preacher named Timothy. Timothy was a young man (1 Timothy 4:12) but possessed a strong love for the Lord. Paul testified of this truth repeatedly and today’s passage shows Paul commenting on Timothy’s “unfeigned faith.” There was something refreshingly genuine about Timothy’s walk with the Lord. Though Paul was speaking specifically about Timothy’s faith, he made mention that this faith did not start with Timothy. This faith had been passed from his grandmother Lois to his mother Eunice, and then on to Timothy. In fact, he was being taught scripture from the time he was a child (2 Timothy 3:15). This type of upbringing yielded a young man of “unfeigned faith” who further matured into adulthood with spiritual fortitude worthy of emulation.
A godly mother and grandmother helped raise Timothy by teaching him the truths of God’s word (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15). Paul wrote to Timothy specifically warning him in 1 Timothy chapter 4 concerning the dangers of the last days (i.e., the doctrines of devils, fables, and unedifying quarrels). In the midst of these warnings, Paul reminded Timothy to take heed unto himself. Timothy needed to guard against troubles from without while diligently taking care of his own walk with Christ. The Old Testament further reinforces these truths. The children of Israel were told to keep their souls diligently (Deuteronomy 4:9) and Solomon instructed his son to keep his heart “with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23). Every Christian should carefully and zealously guard his walk with the Lord.
