I Have No One But You

FROM: JANUARY 2 @ 8, 2018

Topic: "I Have No One But You" Philippians 2:19-21

The apostle Paul tells the Philippians about Timothy: "...I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare." The reason for saying that he was only counting on Timothy was the following: "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Christ Jesus." Among Paul's companions Timothy was singular, he was unique. He was unique because of his uninterested solicitude for the spiritual condition of the Philippians. There was no one who Paul could send with the same confidence. This was a great compliment to someone as young as Timothy. The others had become absorbed (very concentrated in one thought, without paying attention to anything else) in the ocean of "their own", in their private interests. Just think about yourself, when do you care about someone else? Everyone had been so involved, wrapped up in their things, they were very concentrated in their own thinking, in the heed of this life in such a way that they did not have time for what is of Jesus Christ. Is this a message for us in our small world of homes, fridges, televisions and many other things? Matthew 13:22 "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." The Lord uses this comparison of life in which we live as if that life were a land infested with thorns. Then the Lord Jesus says that such a person is the one who heard the Word of God in a superficial way. The people whose lives are like a land full of thorns are those who appear to be genuine subjects of the kingdom externally, but the time comes when their interest is choked by the worries of this century and their delight in riches. Then, in their lives there is no fruit for God! But Paul said of Timothy, even when he was a young boy "...I have no one else like him (like Paul). Timothy had more than enough sincerity, he was interested in bearing fruit for God. Sincerity is the lack of pretense in what is done, without lies. Others can pretend, they can do things that seem to bear fruit for God, but it is without sincerity; it is only to fill the collection of the vain, of what is done on earth, some do and their interest is riches. Thorns drown the Word and their lives are fruitless. 1 Corinthians 7:32 "I would like you to be free of concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs- how he can please the Lord" Without sorrow, without sadness or anguish. Without that affliction that leads you to heartburn, to the lack of air. When one is single, one takes care of the things of the Lord. But when you marry you cling to the things of the world, how to submit to the woman, how to please her, etc. That anguish, that sadness is what would obstruct unnecessarily to serve the Lord. It also says that the single care about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. Paul lets us see that being single offers the opportunity to please God in a way that is not offered in a marital status! 2 Timothy 4:10 "...for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica." Demas, my brother in Christ, he who was my companion, has forsaken me! One of the most bitter experiences in the Christian service is to be abandoned by those who had been companions in the work. Demas had been a friend of Paul, a brother in the faith and collaborator. But now, writing this letter, Paul was in prison. Christians were being persecuted and the political climate was clearly bad for them. And in that very crucial moment instead of loving the service, the submission and the coming of the Lord, Demas loved this world and thus abandoned Paul and left to Thessalonica! Perhaps his fears for his own safety led him to fall from his firmness in the faith. Of Demas it is said that he left Christ that

he moved away from Paul loving this world; this marked a great difference with the faithful and sincere Timothy. When we decided to follow the Lord, we did it with much gratitude and with a real commitment not to look back, not to turn back. Hebrews 10:39 "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith for the preservation of the soul." It is very common among men to seek each one's own interest and not what is of Jesus Christ; how sad for them! Among Christians this happens a lot. But, a great thing it is that not only we remain firm in the faith, but to also be faithful servants, sincerely interested in the soul of others. Paul could entrust the care of the Philippians to someone like that, to the faithful young Timothy. And you, what is your interest, for yourself? And the others? Amen.