“But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the Gospel.”
Character is crucial in sports. If a player has character he has stability. People can count on him. He will persist through the tough times such as a losing streak. Here Paul talks about the character of Timothy. Here is a person who has proved himself. Paul could count on him; he will be there when the going gets tough.
“But you know his proven character”
The word “proven” means the state of being tried. This is a person who has been through the wars and has come out stronger. His integrity has proved true.Timothy established himself as someone Paul could send to Philippi. He was dependable. When he gets there people can count on him to operate with integrity.
“that as a son with his father “
This is spiritual fatherhood and sonship. Timothy was wise enough to learn from a veteran missionary. As a son with a father he learned from Paul. He was open to allow his character to be guided. Paul taught him the Word and how to live it out when things were not going well.
“he served with me in the Gospel”
Timothy help found the church at Philippi. As a vest pocket edition of the apostle Paul he learned how to serve with Paul in the gospel.The phrase “in the gospel” means in getting the gospel out to the Roman world. Sharing your faith to a world who never heard of Christ is rough business. But he was willing to put himself on the line with all its risks and dangers. He cultivated character through trusting God in difficulty.
Principle:
Character comes over a period of time with the right kind of structure built into it.
Application:
Character does not come by floating along in life with the flotsam and jetsam. Character comes by structuring into our lives events and situations that will demand that we grow beyond where we are. We love groves in life because they are secure. But by stepping out of our little nitch we will stretch our boundaries of attributes. For example, many of never witness aggressively because of fear. To run from fear will lock us into the fear. To face fear is to master fear. If we put ourselves on the line we will find how God can work through us in spite of our frailties. With whom are you “serving in the gospel?”
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