I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy 2 (Timothy 1:3,4) Contrasts are interesting to me. They seem to pop out of the text and challenge me to see why they were used. In this short text at the beginning of Paul's last letter we have a contrast that might escape our attention if we aren't paying the same (attention that is). Did you see it? I am not thinking of the "night and day" contrast that Paul mentions. Because that contrast relates that he prayed a lot and is a descriptor of time. The one that I noted was found in what he said in verse four. He says, "Being mindful of thy tears ... that I may be filled with joy" Paul remembered how that Timothy had cried as he saw Paul leave. Paul had probably ministered together with Timothy at Ephesus for awhile and then Paul...
These are devotional, and other, thoughts from a guy who lived in Brazil from 1997 to 2023. I recount personal experiences and Bible applications with most of my posts. These "posts" are mostly for me but if you want to, you can read them too!