Reading for Today - I Timothy 1:1-11 - love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

1 Timothy 1:1-11 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

We need to be careful not to get caught up speculative issues in the Bible. It is neat to study angels and spirits. There are a lot of things we don't know about life after death and many other questions we could ponder. Paul reminded Timothy that he should charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. We too need to be careful. We need to make sure we are teaching the same doctrine that Paul and Peter taught. We need to be sure we are following the New Testament. Paul told Timothy that the aim of his charge was "love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Can you think of anything more beautiful than someone who has love from a pure heart, someone who has a good conscience and someone who has a sincere faith. Don't you want that? I know I desire to make sure all three of those attributes are in my life and growing. If we are rightly studying the word of God the result should be growth in those three areas.