Paul's charge to Timothy

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
                                       1 Timothy 6:12

We should all read Paul's charge to Timothy above as if he were talking to us. My nephew was baptized yesterday afternoon and with this everyone one there was asked to stand in and make the good confession for this small child who cannot yet speak for himself. First and foremost, his parents have the main responsibility of bringing him up to know and love God. Then the Godparents are charged, followed by the rest of us. We are charged with praying constantly for this young one, as baptism has rescued him from original sin.

When he is older, as we all have done, he will profess his own faith through confirmation. As we did yesterday, and as we did at our confirmations, and as we do at each and every baptism we attend, we renounce the devil and confirm our faith in Jesus Christ.

Getting back to Paul's message to Timothy, we are not to take this confirmation of our faith lightly. We are to boldly go out and share this faith with others, through words and actions, so that others may know of God's love for all people. Think about this. If you meet a stranger, or a long lost friend, and they treat you with kindness, respect and dignity, would not you be more likely to want to be around that person than someone that talks down to you, treats you like you are below them, or even insults or hurts you. Of course your answer must be yes. This is how God instructs us through the Word to treat our fellow man. Love your neighbor as God loves you.

God Bless you as you start this new week.