Contend

At the time this letter was written, Paul was probably in Macedonia, and Timothy was in charge of the work in Ephesus. Timothy was the son of a Greek Gentile father and a devout Jewish mother, named Eunice. Paul wrote 1 Timothy in order to advise his young co-worker, Timothy, concerning issues that were arising at the church in Ephesus.

This letter is a clear call for the church to live out the ethical implications of the gospel in tangible ways. Paul encourages and instructs Timothy as a young leader. He grounds the everyday behaviour of Christians in the gospel. False doctrine was coming into the church in Ephesus, and this was causing behavior which was not compatible with the gospel. Visible change needs to take place in those who believe in Christ. True gospel will always lead to godliness in the life of the believer.

When you receive a letter or an email, do you simply jump to the middle of the document and read that only? Quite unlikely. Remember, this is also a letter written from Paul to Timothy. While it is very important to read through the section of text you are studying each day, it is also important to read through the entire letter as well. If possible, read through the entire book of 1 Timothy in one sitting. Read it for the logic and the flow. Become familiar with it. This will give you a better starting ground
to understand the text. Some questions to ask yourself as you read the entire letter:

Then, as you read the specific passages that are indicated in the devotionals, ask yourself how the passage fits into the overall flow of the letter. The fact is that 1 Timothy is a personal letter and we can relate to it in a personal way–first by getting to know the early-church context and then by applying it to our own