Stay A Little Longer

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, — 1 Timothy 1:3

So today, the word "urged" does have a special emphasis for Paul. Timothy, his younger protege, was sometimes known for being a little "timid". And Paul knew he would not be able to get to Ephesus, so he urged Timothy to stay because Ephesus is a crucial city for expanding the Gospel. But this meant that Timothy would have to lean into some hard work.

I don't know about you, but there are times in my life when I have not wanted to do some challenging things that might involve conflict. I'm not a guy who enjoys confrontation, but by dealing with disputes and remaining in them, I have learned some tactics for moving through them. But a few times in my life, I wished I would have leaned into the conflict a little more and tried harder before bailing.

I think that's what Paul is doing here. Paul is a master at handling conflict. In the New Testament, you will not find a man with thicker skin and more resolve when it comes to conflict. He was beaten, stoned, rejected, condemned, and imprisoned for his faith. But he was also very well educated and a master at public debate. Timothy was very different. He was raised by his mother, not as well educated, fairly new to his faith, and he was young — very young. He was much younger, less educated, and less known than many of the people he would be confronting in the church in Ephesus.

And still, Paul pushes him to lean into this opportunity, do the hard thing, and "remain at Ephesus."

I think sometimes we need a little push in our spiritual life. We need someone to say, "remain a little longer." So today, that's my word to you. I want to challenge you to "remain." Stay in the fight for your marriage a little longer. Battle it out one more day with that repetitive sin. Keep sharing your faith with a disobedient or wayward child. Keep believing that God will save that friend, relative, and neighbor. And don't give up just yet. You might discover there is something God wants to do for you in the "remaining" that you'll only learn by doing the hard thing one more day.

ASK THIS: What is the hard thing you need to do one more day?

DO THIS: Share that below and let's pray about it.

PRAY THIS: God, give me the strength to do the hard thing I don't feel like doing today.

PLAY THIS: Impossible Things.