Paul was an amazing man of God, who at some point in his ministry took a liking to a young man named Timothy. Paul had such a burden for mentoring Timothy that he wrote two letters to him instructing how to conduct his life and ministry while he trained others in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All throughout II Timothy, Paul builds upon a theme of endurance and faithfulness as he runs the race that God has set before him. Often time’s, people preach about all the great things that Paul instructed Timothy to do but forget about any great principles found in this letter. The Principle developed in II Timothy 1:3-5; 3:14-15; is called the Principle of the Mirror.
David understood this principle at an early age. In fact in 1 Samuel 17:34-37 (NIV) David goes to King Saul and tells him that he will fight the Philistines, Goliath. Saul tells David that there is no way he can fight Goliath and win, he is just a boy. David, then told Saul about how God allowed him to kill a bear and a lion in a previous battle.
“34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
The principle of the mirror is quite simple for leaders to understand and remember. God allows us to be placed in situations that develop the faith and characteristics in our lives that allow us to face the Goliaths. David had already done two unbelievable things in his life, and knew that if God called him to battle the battle would be God’s to win. The mirror allows you to remember what God has done in your life in the past, so that you will be able to conquer the future. During the Old Testament the Israelites would build memorials to remind generations of the mighty acts of God. This is the same thing as looking in the mirror.
Ministry can get awful hard and lonely at times. A man once told me as a youth “the closer you get to God the less people you will see beside you.” Paul understood this and told Timothy in both of his letters to remember the legacy of faith that his mother and grandmother left him. In addition, Paul reminds Timothy in 3:10 that Timothy has followed the doctrine that Paul has taught him. Shortly after this in 3:14-15 Paul tells Timothy to continue in the things you have learned and have known from childhood. Another words, remember the bears and lions. God has not brought you this far in your journey to let you fall. He has been preparing you for your calling from childhood.
By understanding the principle of the mirror there are three areas that will help us use our mirrors to understand our preset in order to impact our futures. These areas are:
Biblical Training
Stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before you and those who walk along side of you
Stand Strong in the Future
In future posts I will expand upon these three areas.
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