Pass It On

In our Bibles, most of Paul’s letters are written to churches, giving them instruction, giving them encouragement, or sometimes giving them a rebuke. Whenever Paul started his letters, he opened with a greeting to the church, and maybe gave a few shout outs to some people who had been doing work for the gospel, and prayed for grace, mercy, and peace for the reader/hearer. We also have a few instances where Paul wrote directly to individuals: Philemon, Titus, and 1 & 2 Timothy.

In looking at 2 Timothy I found it interesting that Paul says this starting in verse 5, “ 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Paul cared deeply for Timothy. He had discipled Timothy and sent him on his first missions to share the gospel with the world. In learning about his faith Paul found that Timothy’s roots started with his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. Hopefully, every grandmother is proud of their grandson, but I doubt she could have predicted where Timothy would end up.

Lois knew what I hope we all know, the importance of passing on your faith. She was faithful with her child and grandchild, and that faithfulness led to a person we still learn about today in Timothy. You never know what kind of far-reaching impact you have when you share your faith with your family, with those you work with, or with people you may never see again.

You have been given a gift, a small spark, that you can fan into flame. We have been given a great calling. I pray that you can pass it on. You have no idea how much impact you can have a few generations down the line.