Not-So-Quiet-Time: 1 Samuel Meets 1 Timothy

At-Home Bible Guide for the Week of 6/28

Day 1: 1 Samuel 11:12-15
In many ways, Saul started his reign as king of Israel with wisdom and obedience. In these verses, we read about Saul’s first battle after becoming king—it was a success! And, sadly, it might have been the high point of his leadership. We will continue in 1 Samuel in a few weeks, and we will see Saul struggle, fail, and fall. But before turning there, let’s pause here to consider our own lives and ask the Lord to help us press on faithfully. To help us do that, we will spend the rest of this week in 1 Timothy 4.

Day 2: 1 Timothy 4:1-5
We should be sad, but not surprised, when people turn away from the Lord. This passage lists many different ways that this can look, but I think it is worth it to look closely at two categories: a seared conscience so that we accept what is wrong (2) and an unhealthy, unwise rejection of what is good and right (3). We can all be tempted from the inside or conditioned from the outside to see the world differently than God sees it. If God calls something evil or wrong, we must agree. It is time to scrape the callouses off of our conscience and agree. And if God calls something good, we must not call it wrong or evil. In other words, we need to ask God to help us be a people who know his Word and are willing to submit ourselves to it. 

Day 3: 1 Timothy 4:6-10
Do you “train yourself for godliness” (7)? This training is the mission of your life. We grow strong through exercise. We gain knowledge through study. Likewise, we gain godliness through the training program of the Holy Spirit. Would an observer of your life say that you are actively training for godliness?

Day 4: 1 Timothy 4:11-14
We are called to “set the believers an example” of what it looks like to follow Christ. And this must touch every area of our lives, leading “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (12). How can normal, struggling people like you and me do this? One of God’s gifts to us to succeed is his Word. In fact, we are called to “devote [ourselves] to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (13). God works through his Word. In our church and in our homes, with the congregation and with our families, we must be devoted to the Word. 

Day 5: 1 Timothy 4:15-16
The Christian life is not a hobby. It is an all-encompassing, fully-transformed way of living. That is why Paul can call us to “immerse” ourselves in God’s Word and ways (15). And we must keep a close watch on our lives so that we don’t drift. And this is good for us and for all who listen to us (16). Do you want to save your family members, your co-workers, your classmates, and your friends? God’s pattern for salvation is a life immersed in his Word and ways. 

Catechism Connection: 2
The Word is our weapon to defeat the enemy. The Word is the bread that fuels our lives. The Word is the powerful tool of God to train us for righteousness. “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him” (WSC 2).

Monthly Memory: 1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.