In Tim 1:9--10 Paul clarifies the  purpose of Law.  He says it is good--if used lawfully.  Now what in the world does it mean to use the Law lawfully?  (You might get your Bible and read that passage.)

One of the most difficult rules I have ever come up against is when I arrive at a red light that never seems like it is going to change, and I'm just sitting there when no one else is anywhere on any horizon.  East, West, North or South.  So why keep the law?  For the simple reason that I am using the law lawfully.  I don't like it.  It seems like a waste of time.  And it is.  But if I am unlawful, I certainly can't have any argument if I get a ticket or if my insurance rate goes up.

But Paul continues by saying the law is not for the righteous.   In II Cor. 5:21 Paul says "For he has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."       Paul tells us that Christ is our righteousness.  We have his Spirit to lead us into Godly behavior.  We don't keep rules just for the sake of keeping rules, we keep them because we have an inner guide that steers us in the right direction.  And we have an inner desire to please God.

My inner desire is that I just don't want to embarrass Him.  I used to tell my children when they walked out the door to remember what their name was.  What they did reflected on everyone in the family.  And when they did something wrong, we were hurt and embarrassed because we had taught them the right, and they chose to do wrong.  In the same way, what you and I do reflects on everyone in the family of God and especially on God Himself.

My husband said that there were two ways for him to get a child to obey.  Fear of punishment, or Love.  He hoped our children would obey out of love.  Even when they didn't fully understand the restrictions he imposed upon them, he hoped they would obey because they loved their father.

So what Paul is saying is that the righteous obey out of love and the Law is for the lawless.  In the following verses, he spells out just what that lawlessness is.

In verse two, Paul addressed Timothy as his son in the faith, and blessed him with grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus the son. That's what I want.  Grace, mercy and peace.

And then he reassures Timothy of how much he needs him to council the church at Ephesus.  Paul had gone to Macedonia and hadn't taken Timothy with him.  I don't know about you, but when I have been left out of an event that is exciting, adventurous, or where everyone else is getting to go, I really feel left out and sad.  I am sure you have experienced such occasions as well.  Even if it is because I am down with some illness, or one of my children has an event I need to attend.  I still am left out.

Paul wanted Timothy to know that he held him in high esteem, even as his own son.  And that Timothy was left out not because Paul didn't want him along, but because Paul had no one else that he could entrust with the job that needed to be done in Ephesus.

And the job was to straighten some people out on their doctrine.  In the fourth verse he tells us that there were people in the church who were stirring up trouble by teaching fables and genealogies, (some people were teaching that you had to be a Jew before you could become a Christian).  In verse six Paul calls it "vain jangling".  One of those 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' type of conversations.  Or 'did Adam have a belly-button?"  Completely off the subject.

In verse seven Paul says that these people don't know what the;y are talking about.  You have to remember that at the time, these churches didn't have any written doctrine except for the letters that they copied by hand and passed around to other groups.  And these groups were small.  So the people were often confused about the gospel.  Can you imagine what it would be like without a New Testament. Paul wanted Timothy to stop interlopers, and to reaffirm the truth, the simple story of Christ.

So don't feel down or sad when you are left out.  God has a purpose for your life and you can't be in two places at once.  If you were left out, it might be because God had something else for you to do. 

You remember that after Christ arose, he told the apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit.   Acts 1:4b,  "…but wait for the promise of the Father," and Acts 5:b  "…ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."   And while they were waiting,  Peter decided to hold an election.  To replace Judas.  Peter gave a long speech about why they needed to do this and Peter was a very pursuasive kind of fella'.  The rest of the apostles all agreed so they cast lots and chose Matthias.  And we never hear from Matthias again.

Expanding on this subject--the election--the scripture tells us in Acts 2:1a, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…," and Acts 4a,  ".. they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…"   I have always wondered why they held the election before they received the Holy Spirit.  Since Christ had returned to heaven, and the Spirit hadn't yet come, where did they get their direction?  I think this gives further credence to what Paul claimed concerning his apostleship--that Jesus Christ himself had personally chosen Paul.

Obviously Paul counted himself an apostle.  In Timothy 2:7b Paul says, "…I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle…".

I personally am of the opinion that there were twelve, and Paul was God's choice for the twelfth.  It is interesting to note that the number of apostles that Christ chose is the same number as the tribes of the Israelites,  (Jacob had twelve sons).

It has taken two blogs to get through the first three verses of First Timothy.  Mercy!!

Genesis, Amos, what next?  Well, I am teaching Timothy one and two right now and every Sunday when I get home from my class, I think of all the things I wish I could have covered. And things I didn't know.   I find that I am still "growing up" with God's word.  When you read it again, you always see something new.

Timothy 1:1  "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope."

"Paul".  Who else in the New Testament gives us such insightful information on getting from point A to point B in our Christian growth?  In my opinion he is the scholar of the Word of God.  His vocabulary, his education in Jewish Law, his study at the feet of Gamaliel, his confidence in Biblical truth…I could go on and on.  Even though the entire Bible is inspired by God, each writer has their own style, their own background and experience.  Paul shines.  He is the ultimate writer that we have to teach us the gospel.

"An apostle".  Paul introduced himself in almost all of his letters this way.  I personally think this was because he wanted everyone to know that he was equal in calling to the eleven apostles and that his words should hold equal validity.  Perhaps he considered himself the twelfth, the anointed replacement for Judas.  We can't be sure, but  he further emphasizes that this title is given "...by the commandment of God."

He uses the total gamut of  authenticity to stamp his title with approval. "…of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope."

God gives Amos the final vision in the ninth and last chapter of Amos.  God is absolutely going to destroy Israel.  Totally.  But…..God always has a remnant.  Just when you think all the people  around you are going to hell in a hand bag, along comes someone with a mind for God.  Someone like Amos.  So God gives Amos hope.  A vision of the future.  (Though Amos will never live to see it.)

Even though nothing will belong to Israel after the invasion of their land and destruction of their people, a day is coming--sometime in the unknown future--when God will restore the remnant of Israel to their homeland.  Amos 9:14b-15  ",,,they will build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they will also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.  And I will plant them upon their land, and they will no more be pulled out of their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God."

If you want to know where the world is headed, watch Israel.  They now have their land back…as God promised. .Someone once told me that Israel is God's time clock.  And the clock is ticking.  So what happens next?  Well, read the Bible.  It is pretty well spelled out.  And it is remarkably accurate.

 I am finished with the book of Amos.  It is a book of warning.  It may seem like God isn't watching your life, your town, your country…but He is. It may seem like their is no justice for those who are disobedience.  But it is coming.  This is why we must share the Gospel.  People need to know.

Amos 8:11-12  Behold, the days come, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

Their songs will be like howling.  God won't listen to them.  And now we find that when the nation falls, the people will be desperate to hear God's words from the scrolls, but they won't be able to find them.  They won't know what to do and won't be able to find anyone who knows what to do.

Can you imagine not being able to read God's words in the Bible?  When I am faced with a problem that seems impossible to solve,  I really don't want somebody's opinion.  I want God's opinion.  It may take a while to find a passage that speaks to me, but I always find it.  And it is always personal.

When my third daughter died unexpectedly when she was nine days old, I found that in the following two years I couldn't sleep for fear that one of my other three children would stop breathing in the night. I would lie down, and minutes later run to their rooms to see that they were okay.  I was exhausted all the time.  Sleeping only when someone else was there to watch them for me.

One day I found a scripture in Proverbs 3:24 that spoke personally to me.  "When you lie down, do not be afraid.  Yes, lie down and your sleep will be sweet."  So I did.  Lie down.  And finally trusted God with the night watch.  I told God:  You take the night watch, and I'll take the day.  At first, I would lie down and quote scripture: "…lie down, lie down, lie down…" and say to myself, "That is a commandment directly to you personally from God's word.  Just do it.  And so I did.  Sleep was sweet.

I can't imagine not having God's word.  It is always personal.

There are nine chapters in the short book of Amos.  When we start chapter eight, we get the fourth vision that God gave to Amos.  Amos 8:1-3 Thus has the Lord God showed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.  And God said, Amos, what do you see?  And I said, A basket of sumner fruit.  Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel;  I will not again pass by them any more.  And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, said the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place…"

Summer fruit.  Sounds good.  But that's not what summer fruit is.  It is the end of all food that the summer will produce.  The leavings from the harvest.  The dregs.  Nothing else to harvest.  The end.  The end is upon Israel.  And once again God says:  "I will not again pass by them any more."  But worse than that,  all attempts to sing in the temple will be as a howling on the ears of God.  They can go to church.  They can sing, chant, and play the harp, but the sounds will offend the ears of God.  He's through with them.

Then Amos gives a particular warning to the wealthy in Amos 8:4-7.  He says that they swallow up the needy and falsify balances by deceit.  They do this so they can "own" the poor and buy the poor for a "pair of shoes" and so that they can sell the poor the refuse of the wheat.  Food not fit for the dogs.  It is a scathing indictment.  God ends by saying "I will never forget any of their works."  God has always had a heart for the poor and downtrodden.

And God has a long memory.  Those who rack up wealth at the expense of the poor had better listen.  God's message back then is God's message today.