S -Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.

Philemon 1:11 CSB

O – Commentary:

Onesimus means “useful.” • hasn’t been of much use (literally useless) … very useful: This might be a play on words (cp. v 20). Onesimus was now serving others and proclaiming the Good News. At last he had become what his name means.

 New Living Translation Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008), Phm 11.

A – God didn’t give up on Onesimus and we should not either.  The concept of “hope” can feel like a naive approach to some.  Hope allows us to believe the best in people and situation.  When it is paired with healthy boundaries, it allows for great opportunity while maintaining strong conviction.

R – Heavenly Father, you are love.  Thank you for not giving up on us before or now.  We know that we are going to sin and make mistakes.  Your faith and hope in us is amazing.  Help us to express this to others in the same heart and love you extend to us.

S – But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. 

Titus 3:9 CSB

O – Commentary:

This seems to primarily reference the problems the false teachers were causing. Titus is instructed to oppose these false teachers but should not allow for their controversies to dictate his agenda. This also seems to be a broad reference to controversies that are unprofitable in terms of the gospel reaching more people 

 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Tt 3:9.

A – Paul recognizes the power of the “distraction.”  We need to be aware of the things that pull us away from the central part of our relationship with God.  The message of God’s love and desire for relationship is core to our daily walk and purpose.  It isn’t good when other tangents take us away from that.

R – Heavenly Father, you are Alpha and Omega.  We invite your Holy Spirit to empower us today to stay centered in our relationship with you.  Help us to recognize whatever pulls away from knowing you intimately.  

S – Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance

Titus 2:2 CSB

O – Commentary:

Paul addressed several groups, the first being the older men. Titus was to teach them to manifest the characteristics of maturity. Older men are to be temperate (nēphalious; cf. 1 Tim. 3:2), worthy of respect (semnous, “serious-minded,” i.e., not clowns), and self-controlled (sōphronas, cf. 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8; 2:4). These marks of maturity should be complemented by marks of godliness, the three central Christian virtues of faith … love, and endurance (hypomonē). This last one may seem to have replaced the familiar virtue “hope” in the trio, but the two are closely aligned (cf. Rom. 5:4; 15:4, 1 Thes. 1:3), especially for those who have lived long lives.

 A. Duane Litfin, “Titus,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 764.

A – As an “older” man, this verse zeroes in on my walk with God.  While each of these are foundational, it doesn’t make them easy to achieve.  Yet, the longer you walk with God they do become part of your character and it does become easier to model these behaviors and attitudes.  Tbe behaviors become “normal” but the virtues are continually tested.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  I am grateful for our journey and all of the character and virtues you have poured into me.  I want to continue to grow in all of them.  Give me strength and courage to pursue all of these with an open heart and a desire for greater intimacy with you.

S – As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, ⁹ holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it. 

Titus 1:7–9 CSB

O – Commentary:

 Not only must an overseer meet moral and spiritual standards in his personal life, but he must also be a reliable man of the Word. (15) He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. This last clause, “as it has been taught,” actually comes first in the Greek, for emphasis. According to Paul, an elder is a conservator of the truth, one who must understand it, hold it fast; (16) encourage others by teaching it; and (17) refute those who oppose it. To be qualified as an elder a man must be a capable handler of the truth (cf. comments on 1 Tim. 3:2).

 A. Duane Litfin, “Titus,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 762–763.

A – An overseer of the church must be the conduit of truth.  No one will ever be perfect in their moral and spiritual standard because they are human.  Yet, they hold it at a high level.  The must protect and elevate the truth of God for other to grow in their relationship with God.

R – Heavenly Father, you are holy, holy, holy.  Empower all of us today to walk at the level of purity in our relationship with you.  Others are looking at us to lead in our relationship with Christ.  Give us the strength and discipline to walk in a way worthy of your calling.

S – But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 

2 Timothy 4:5 CSB

O – Commentary:

Again Paul used the strong contrast But you … (cf. 3:10, 14). Timothy must remain cool-headed in the face of difficulties. He must be ready to endure hardship (cf. 2:3) as the pressure mounted. He must do the work of an evangelist, proclaiming the gospel at every opportunity. (There is no reason to assume, as some suggest, that Timothy was without the gift of evangelism). In every way, Paul wrote, fulfill your ministry (diakonian, the word for voluntary “service” from which comes “deacon”).

 A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 758.

A – Hardship is a part of walking with God. The enemy will do whatever he can to dissolve our love for God.  He is a liar, accuser and he wants to rob, kill and destroy us.  Plus, life is hard and has challenges.  Knowing that God is present in all of this is tough to understand at times.  “But for you” reminds us that our relationship with God is personal and we have a choice.  We need to choose faith and trust in God in the midst of all of this.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the One, true God.  Life is hard right now and we invite you into every situation we are facing.  We put our faith and trust in you.

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

O – This list gives us a practical ability to identify things that are not of God. It also lets us know they will reflect a version of God but not God himself.

A – it is imperative for us to know God, his word and truth. Then, we will know the true identity and power of God. People have been trying to show their version of God since the earliest times. We cannot worship a counterfeit.

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship. Help us to know the real you. We choose you over anything else that tries to reflect you. We want you!

S – Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his,^, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness. 

2 Timothy 2:19 CSB

O – Commentary:

God’s solid foundation (i.e., the church; cf. 1 Cor. 3:10–15; Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Tim. 3:15) stands firm, with two inscriptions as a “seal” to indicate the structure’s authenticity and integrity (cf. Rom. 4:11; 1 Cor. 9:2). The first is a reference to the rebellion of Korah in which the Lord differentiated between the true and the false (Num. 16:5; cf. Jude 11). The second inscription is possibly a loose reference to Numbers 16:26 or more likely some other Old Testament passage such as Isaiah 52:11. The two inscriptions emphasize respectively both God’s sovereign control over the church and every Christian’s responsibility to turn away from evil. Thus Timothy did not need to fear for the destiny of God’s work, but he was to make every effort to keep himself free from the contamination of the false teachers.

 A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 755.

A – Good application for us today.  There are some who are going to come and go in our Christian walk.  God’s church will not be deterred because the foundation is secure in Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  We must be diligent to ensure we are not swayed by false teaching or philosophies contrary to God’s word.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the truth, way and the life.  Grow our faith to trust in the foundation of Jesus Christ even more today.  Help us to know your Word to discern what is from you and what is not.  We want to grow more in our relationship with you.

S – Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power,^, love, and sound judgment. 

2 Timothy 1:6–7 CSB

O – Commentary:

Why Timothy needed this reminder of his ordination, and the confidence in his own gifts he developed as a result of it, is not clear. In 1 Timothy the reference to Timothy’s ordination is associated with problems stemming from his youthfulness (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12). Perhaps he had become somewhat intimidated by the opposition to both Paul and the gospel, even in some ways threatened, defensive, and ashamed (cf. 2 Tim. 1:8) at having to defend a prisoner (cf. 2:9) and the “foolishness” which they both preached about a despised and crucified Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18–2:5). But such timidity (deilias, lit., “cowardice,” used only here in the NT) has no place in God’s service. Instead God gives a spirit of power (cf. 1 Cor. 2:4), of love (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5), and of self-discipline (cf. 1 Tim. 4:7). These three virtues, each supplied by the Holy Spirit, should characterize Timothy.

A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 750.

A – We all have times when we are “intimidated” by things that are bigger than us.  We need to work through it and recognize that nothing is bigger than God and his ability to work a situation to his good.  Community is crucial in all of this.  I know how much I rely on my core circle in difficult times.  They see the raw emotions and they walk with me as I get back to a healthier place.

R – Heavenly Father, You are the Supreme God -there is none bigger than you.  We invite your Holy Spirit to encourage us today to lead as you have called us to.  The enemy wants to accuse, distract and intimidate but you are bigger than all of those.  You commision us to do the work of the ministry and will open the doors that need to be opened for us to do that.

S – But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.

1 Timothy 6:6–7 CSB

O – When we are growing in our character to reflect God and we are satisfied with our own resources it allows us to put our focus on God.

A – There are many things we want to pursue in life.  Good things that we enjoy and bring pleasure to our lives. When we can put them in a proper perspective with our relationship with God it is a win – win.  God remains elevated to his rightful place in our lives and we can have things that are enjoyable in a healthy way.

R – Heavenly Father, your are the Lord of All.  Empower us today to see all that you have allowed us to enjoy in a healthy view.  We know you provide for us and we are grateful for all that.  As we keep you first in our lives, we desire a genuine contentment.

S – The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,^, and, The worker is worthy of his wages.

1 Timothy 5:17–18 CSB

O – Study Bible:

elders Refers to mature believers responsible for managing and teaching in the church. Paul appointed elders in the local church and advised Titus do the same (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Like overseers, elders nourish and protect the believers in the church community (see Acts 20:28 and note; 1 Tim 3:2 and note).

Episkopos and Presbyteros Word Study

double honor This refers to an adequate compensation for the work of the ministry. In the context of v. 3, this honor included financial support from the community

 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Ti 5:17.

A – The church needs to have leaders who are mature, with strong leadership skills and a heart the cares for the congregation.  Realizing the broad spectrum that represents, we need to pray for our church leaders to grow in all these aspects.  As they do, the church will mature and grow.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all.  We pray for our church leaders to grow in their individual relationship with you first.  Let them know you in a deeper, more intimate way today.  Grow their maturity, leadership and heart for their congregations so the church is protected and moved to their own growth and maturity.