I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT
Paul mentored a young man named Timothy who became a great leader in the early church. He became a man of impact. Timothy's life was dedicated to ministry as a disciple and close companion of the apostle Paul, serving as a missionary and eventually becoming the first bishop of Ephesus. He was known for his faith and courage, despite facing personal fears. Extra-biblical history says he was martyred in Ephesus for his faithfulness to Jesus, likely around 80 or 97 AD. His ministry involved strengthening churches, guarding doctrine, and enduring hardship, a legacy documented in the two letters Paul addressed to him, saved for us in the New Testament.
As influential as Paul was in Timothy’s life and faith, Paul recognized that he was not the one who started the process in Timothy’s life and discipleship. His first leaders were his grandmother and then his mother. His grandmother Lois would have been among the first generation to follow Jesus. Her daughter (Timothy’s mother) followed too. These women were Jewish women who placed their faith in Jesus and chose to faithfully follow. Timothy’s father was a Greek non-believer (Acts 16:1,3), but the influence and leadership of these two women was so compelling that in this male-dominated culture, Timothy chose to follow their leadership instead of his father’s. That alone is enough testimony to the kind of lives his grandmother and mother lived and the leadership they gave. Timothy was shaped into a mighty man of God as he followed their leadership. As you follow his legacy, which is also their legacy, you will be overwhelmed at the untold, countless number of people who have been led in one way or another through Timothy’s influence. Who you follow determines who follows you and where their lives go as well.
I see this in humbling and motivating ways in my own life. My grandfather was the first one to follow Jesus in his own family. He began faithfully following as a young father. All of Grandpa’s children have joined him and Grandma in heaven now, as all eventually followed his lead. My father committed his life to following when he was 28. He became a pastor, a faithful follower, and in his 96 years here, many followed his leadership. All four of his children followed Dad as he followed Jesus, two of them as well a son-in-law became pastors, the other two deeply committed and active followers as well. All of his grandchildren are following Jesus, Seven of them are in fulltime ministry. Only God knows how many people will populate heaven because my grandpa started faithfully following Jesus. The voice you follow determines the direction and destiny of YOUR life, and also to a very large degree determines the direction and destiny of THOSE WHO FOLLOW YOU.
- God, help me follow You faithfully and fully, making the path clear for others.